Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has publicly supported George Russell following a challenging Belgian Grand Prix. The driver’s race ended on the first lap after a power unit issue led to a collision with his former teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Russell experienced a significant power deficit on the run to Les Combes. He reported that his battery failed to recharge correctly after the first corner, leaving him with no power on the Kemmel Straight.
This loss of performance left him vulnerable to the cars behind, ultimately resulting in contact with Hamilton’s Ferrari and a race-ending spin into the gravel. The incident compounded a difficult season for the British driver.
Following the retirement, Russell expressed his frustration, stating he had become “numb to the disappointment now” due to recurring issues. This followed a battery problem in Canada and a penalty in Monaco earlier in the season.
Wolff addressed the situation by taking responsibility for the technical failure at Spa. He confirmed an issue with all Mercedes engines, stating, “That bit him badly and it goes 100% on us”.
George has 100% our support. George had a difficult weekend. Half of it is to be attributed to the power unit that wasn’t as good as it should have been and the other half may be on the driving. But we are in this together.
While supporting his driver, Wolff also reminded Russell that it is an “honour” to drive for the team and that they would work to restore his optimism. The retirement was a blow to Russell’s championship hopes, leaving him 50 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Further investigation by the team has since identified a software bug as the root cause of the power deployment problem. Deputy Technical Director Simone Resta confirmed the issue was present at Silverstone but more evident at Spa.
The bug reportedly affected Russell more than Antonelli, a situation compounded by Russell running an older power unit compared to his teammate. The team is now focused on implementing a fix ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
