Nine races in; 25 points behind. Not ideal, but eminently salvageable for George Russell, who has endured an arduous start to a campaign which had his name written all over a debut F1 world championship. Now, 10 races down, that deficit has doubled in one spin into the gravel to 50 points. Needless to say, this was not how the Briton envisaged the start of his 2026 season.
Whether it be ill-timed safety cars, a lack of confidence or now mechanical issues, Russell has encountered his fair share of problems as the campaign nears its halfway point. In Belgium, an engine starved of straight-line speed – in stark contrast to his teammate Kimi Antonelli – was the latest in an ever-growing list of mishaps.
And it stretched him to breaking point.
After retiring from the Belgian Grand Prix on lap one after a tangle with Lewis Hamilton, an incident which followed Russell losing three places on the Kemmel Straight post-pace downturn, the usually ultra-composed 28-year-old was close to tears in his media pen interview with Sky Sports F1.
“It’s very very disappointing,” he said. “Nothing to say, no words.
“I appreciate everyone’s hard work to solve the problem but I’m now stood here on lap five of the race. I felt like I was in a good position to fight for the lead at turn one – but no power and it’s all gone.”
The latest problem is particularly baffling, not least because Mercedes, the reincarnated powerhouse of this new era, had no clue what was causing Russell’s lack of speed. In fact, they blamed the driver first, before an engine issue was unearthed.
“I got to the top of Eau Rouge with 0% on the battery,” Russell added. “Quite frankly, it was dangerous. I got swamped by three cars…
“When it happens so often, you just get used to it… this time something totally different. But it’s every day.”
Antonelli, to his credit, took full advantage at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit, overcoming a poorly timed VSC in Charles Leclerc’s favour to zoom past the Ferrari and extend his championship lead to 45 points, with Lewis Hamilton (who finished fourth) back up to second and Russell dropping to third.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists the team are now aware of the problem: “With George, over the weekend there was definitely something on the engine that we have identified that meant he only had less energy to deploy into Turn 18. That was the most visible.
“It’s good that we spotted it here because, in Budapest [next weekend], which is not energy-starved, it would have been more difficult to identify”
But forget the Hungarian GP this weekend coming; Russell simply needs the summer break to regroup, recharge and replenish.
Usually so self-assured and forthcoming, the King’s Lynn native now looks a man devoid of ideas and, most crucially, hope. His teenage teammate Antonelli, notching his sixth win of the season on Sunday, is storming clear in the title race. And Russell’s camp are scratching their heads in the search for answers.
Only, all is far from lost. The season is long, with 13 races remaining, and Lando Norris’s brilliant comeback against his own teammate Oscar Piastri last year shows that a 180-degree turnaround in form and the leaderboard is feasible. Russell’s familiar foe shows him the way forward, in this respect. On his day, cars equal, Russell should still have the better of Antonelli, 10 years his junior and with six fewer seasons in Formula 1 behind him.
Yet if Russell is Norris in last year’s title race, what is most thrilling is that Hamilton threatens to be the Max Verstappen figure. It was a weekend to forget for the Ferrari driver, in fact, but he’s right in the fight this season.
He now heads to Hungary, his best-performing track after Silverstone, where he has won seven times. And whether it be Hamilton or Russell, it feels like one Brit needs to grasp some much-needed momentum before Formula 1 dials down for the mid-season recess.
