George Russell entered the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend with a renewed sense of optimism, convinced that Mercedes had finally pinpointed and rectified the power‑unit glitches that had plagued his car in recent races. The British driver had suffered a costly setback at Spa‑Francorchamps, where a first‑lap collision with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton forced him out of the race and left him 50 points adrift of his title‑leading teammate, Kimi Antonelli.
Russell believes that the incident, as well as his overall under‑performance relative to the in‑form Antonelli, was heavily influenced by persistent energy‑deployment problems that hampered his engine throughout the Belgian weekend. During the two‑day practice session at Spa, Russell experienced a noticeable loss of straight‑line speed on the circuit’s long straights, a symptom that directly affected his lap times on the final sector. In addition, the start of the race was compromised by a separate fault that appeared to affect all Mercedes‑powered cars, leaving them vulnerable to the cars behind them.
These issues combined to create a perfect storm of misfortune for Russell, culminating in the early retirement after contact with Hamilton. Despite the disappointment, Russell expressed confidence that the team’s engineers have now gotten to the bottom of the problem and, more importantly, have implemented a fix before the season’s first sprint break in Budapest.
"We’re pretty confident we’ve got on top of the issues we had in Spa and it should be easy to resolve," he told reporters. "We hope and we think we have got on top of it, so feeling more positive." Russell explained that the team’s diagnostic work was intensive and that the clues gathered at Spa were crucial in narrowing down the fault. "At the time we were not sure what it was, but the team worked so hard to really dig deep. Spa gave us the right clues where we needed to look, and it’s only when you look really deep in the right place that you find the problem.
Fingers crossed we hope the issue with the power unit has been resolved, but we’ll find out this weekend," he added. When asked whether his driving style might have contributed to the loss of power, Russell dismissed that theory, attributing the issue to a software bug rather than any fault in his handling of the W17.
"It wasn’t the driving style that was contributing to the loss of power, so that’s something at least," he said. He likened the process of locating the defect to "getting a needle out of a haystack," emphasizing how the team’s perseverance finally paid off. Reflecting on his season so far, Russell described it as an "emotional rollercoaster" marked by inconsistent form and a series of reliability setbacks for Mercedes. The psychological toll has been significant, with the 28‑year‑old admitting that this has been the toughest mental battle of his career.
"It’s probably fair to say it is the toughest battle psychologically I’ve had just because it’s been so many ups and downs, combined with things in my control that haven’t been great and also with things outside of my control that have hampered the progress," he confessed. Nevertheless, Russell stressed his resilience, invoking the old adage that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. He expressed pride in his ability to bounce back, noting that three days after Spa he felt positive and eager for the upcoming race. "I feel proud of my resilience and, three days later here after Spa, I feel positive and excited for the weekend and I’m looking at the future prospects and not the past disappointment," he said.
He added that racing often offers a fresh chance "just round the corner," and that the Hungaroring could provide exactly that. The Hungarian circuit is historically less dependent on outright power than tracks such as Silverstone or Spa, which should play to Russell’s advantage given the recent engine concerns. Russell has a strong pedigree at the Hungaroring, having secured two podiums and his maiden pole position in 2022.
He hopes to recapture the momentum he built after winning the Austrian Grand Prix three races earlier. "I felt some good momentum coming out of Austria and Barcelona, especially after Monaco," Russell recalled.
"Monaco was a very low point for me in my season, and coming back in Barcelona, getting the pole, the P2 in the race, getting the pole in Austria and the win, I felt a real good momentum building, which was halted in Silverstone and Spa. I hope I can continue from where we were in Austria." Russell also praised the Hungaroring itself, describing it as a circuit he enjoys and anticipates a challenging weekend. He acknowledged that Ferrari’s chassis appears stronger than their power unit at present, making them likely contenders on a track that favours handling over raw horsepower. "We know it’s one of the least power‑sensitive circuits of the season.
We’ve got Ferrari close behind. They have a better chassis than power unit at the moment, so of all the circuits, you can expect them to be competitive here," he noted.
He also recognised Antonelli’s excellent form, stating that the race would not be straightforward. Despite Antonelli’s growing lead in the championship, Russell insisted that the title is still very much up for grabs. "For sure I can still win it," he affirmed. "We’re not even halfway through yet.
It’s just been so up and down this whole season. Four races ago I was a lot more points behind in the championship than I am right now even with the disappointments of Spa. So I am feeling a lot more positive, excited for the weekend ahead and hopefully now I can just focus on driving quick." The weekend schedule includes a full slate of support series, with F3 and F2 practice, qualifying and sprint races, as well as the Porsche Supercup and the main Formula 1 Grand Prix. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a contract, with the option to cancel at any time.
Russell’s optimism, combined with Mercedes’ alleged technical fix, sets the stage for an intriguing showdown in Budapest, where a strong performance could reignite his championship challenge and restore confidence in the team’s power‑unit reliability.