George Russell delivered a blunt message to Mercedes after his Belgian Grand Prix ended only a few hundred metres after the start, declaring that he simply wants the same car as teammate Kimi Antonelli. The British driver retired following contact with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari at Les Combes, but described the collision as a racing incident and instead focused his frustration on the power and battery problem that had left him vulnerable on the straight.
The retirement represented another difficult blow for George Russell, who is now 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli in the championship. After initially believing he was in a position to challenge for the lead, he suddenly lost power, was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri and then ended up in the gravel following the contact at Les Combes.
George Russell clears Lewis Hamilton after Belgian GP collision
Asked about the opening-lap incident during an interview with Sky Sport, George Russell refused to place the blame on Lewis Hamilton.
“With Lewis, it was a racing incident,” George Russell said. “We should not have been in that position. I had no power or battery energy, and I was overtaken by Hamilton and Piastri. It was dangerous, honestly.”
George Russell therefore identified the problem affecting his Mercedes W17 as the indirect cause of the accident. His comments followed a weekend in which Mercedes had worked extensively on the W17’s straight-line efficiency at Spa, making the sudden loss of speed particularly damaging.
Asked what he would request from Mercedes following the retirement, George Russell gave an unequivocal response.
“What will I ask Mercedes for? I only want my car to be the same. I am not asking for anything more. I only want the same car.”
George Russell says lack of straight-line speed caused the incident
Returning to the moment that ended his race, George Russell explained that his car had been completely overwhelmed on the straight before the field reached Les Combes.
“I was completely swallowed up on the straight, and then there was a racing incident,” he added. “Perhaps I could have gone wider, and maybe he could have braked a little more, but the accident would not have happened if I had possessed the speed on the straight. I am very disappointed.”
The result adds further pressure to George Russell during a season in which he has struggled to match Kimi Antonelli consistently. The British driver had already explained the difficulty of adapting his natural technique to the W17, using an unusual Mona Lisa comparison to describe his Mercedes driving-style problems before the Belgian Grand Prix.
With Kimi Antonelli now 50 points ahead, George Russell admitted that he did not immediately know how to process the latest setback.
“How do I put all of this behind me? I do not know. At the moment, I have no words,” he said. “I appreciate that everybody is working hard to solve the problem, but by lap five of the race, I am already in the media pen.”
“After Turn 1, I felt as though I was in a position to fight for the lead. Then, suddenly, I lost power and everything disappeared.”
Toto Wolff confirms Mercedes start software problem
After the race, Toto Wolff addressed George Russell’s difficulties and provided further details about the problem reported by the British driver.
“All the Mercedes engines have a problem at the start,” the Mercedes team principal explained. “We have a software problem which means that we do not have all the energy available. Kimi also had this problem, and that is why Verstappen passed him.”
The issue highlights the complexity of the battery deployment and recovery systems used by the current generation of Formula 1 cars. Lewis Hamilton has similarly described 2026 Formula 1 energy management as extremely complex, with software behaviour now capable of significantly influencing starts, overtaking and straight-line performance.
Mercedes reliability remains a concern despite strong performance
Although Mercedes continues to possess a technical advantage over its rivals, reliability remains an unresolved issue. Toto Wolff had already warned before the race that Spa would provide a major test for Mercedes, particularly after recent problems had cost the team valuable championship points.
“We have a super-fast engine and a car that is quick, but the reliability is not yet where we want it to be,” Toto Wolff said. “We saw it with Kimi at Silverstone and here with George, but motorsport is a technical sport, and we have to accept that these things can happen.”
For George Russell, however, the latest failure arrived at a particularly damaging moment. Instead of fighting at the front after a promising opening corner, his Belgian Grand Prix was over almost immediately, leaving him with another retirement and an increasingly difficult championship deficit to recover.
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