George Russell says a “huge weight” has been lifted after Mercedes discovered that an incorrect software calibration, rather than his driving style, was behind the power unit deployment problems he experienced at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. Mercedes identified a hidden element in the power unit software code and introduced a fix ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The breakthrough means George Russell can once again concentrate solely on driving as quickly as possible. The British driver had spent recent race weekends modifying his acceleration, throttle application and gear usage because the available data appeared to suggest his technique was contributing to the problem. Mercedes has now established that those conclusions were incorrect.
Mercedes finds software bug behind George Russell’s power problems
On Thursday at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes announced that it had found “a hidden element” within the software code controlling George Russell’s power unit. The team subsequently implemented a fix designed to resolve the issue.
It was therefore a software engineering problem that had nothing to do with the way George Russell was driving, as the Mercedes driver had maintained for several days. The discovery follows the team’s attempts to understand the two causes behind George Russell’s deployment problems during the previous race weekends.
George Russell says the discovery lifts a huge weight
Speaking to journalists in the Hungaroring paddock, George Russell explained how much mental energy he had devoted to adapting his driving in an attempt to help the power unit perform more effectively.
“This takes a huge weight off my shoulders, but also while I am driving, to be honest,” George Russell said. “During Friday at Silverstone, but also on Saturday at Spa, I was only thinking about how I needed to drive to make the power unit faster on the straights, how to accelerate, how to use the gears or how early I needed to apply the throttle.
“The data said that was the cause, but in the end it was not true. All that effort to optimise my driving with a new technique was in vain. I cannot wait to focus once again only on driving fast.”
The issue had become part of a wider debate surrounding energy deployment under Formula 1’s current power unit regulations. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri had also supported George Russell’s concerns about battery-related problems affecting qualifying performance.
Incorrect calibration affected power delivery around the lap
George Russell attempted to explain the technical nature of the problem, although the details involved were highly complex.
“There were some numbers that were not calibrated correctly,” George Russell said. “It was not a hardware problem. There were two issues at Spa, and the power delivery was not happening optimally over the course of the lap.
“In addition to that, there was another problem connected to this calibration. We now know which numbers were potentially incorrect. We can resolve it by recalibrating everything so that the power unit can reach its full potential.”
The software correction comes as Mercedes prepares for the remainder of the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, where the team will be able to assess whether the changes have completely resolved George Russell’s difficulties.
George Russell explains his heated Spa team radio
George Russell was also asked about his heated radio message during the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver had found himself in the gravel after enduring further power delivery trouble during an already difficult weekend.
“We are all in the same boat and we know between ourselves what happened at Spa — and we had already seen the first signs at Silverstone,” George Russell said. “None of this is up to the standards we want to reach as a team.
“Then, obviously, I found myself in the gravel and the emotions were quite intense, especially considering everything that had happened up to that point.”
Despite the frustration surrounding the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes has continued to support its driver while working to prevent a repeat in Hungary. Toto Wolff has also reassured George Russell as Mercedes targets a clean Hungarian Grand Prix.
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