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George Russell could have used a quiet, uneventful Sunday at the Hungaroring. He didn’t get one. After a qualifying session that ended with a cracked engine sump, a precautionary power unit swap, and a grid slot two positions better than expected only because Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton collect penalties, Russell’s Hungarian Grand Prix unraveled before it really began – this time on the start line itself.
Russell spoke with Sky Sports F1 following the race, explaining what unfolded at the moment the lights went out:
“Terrible start – one way to put it. Nothing I could do, unfortunately. Something happened. I do take some satisfaction that the pace was strong. The team said it was as good as anyone out there, and silver lining, I guess, but one to forget for another.”
On what went wrong: “I was just on, on the throttle waiting, and then all of a sudden the engine just sort of went into… was going all over the place. It was revving really high, really low, and yeah, right now we don’t know.
“But it’s an added to the list of things that’s happened in this first half of the year. Pray things calm down in the second half.”
On how he deals with the emotional toll of such bad luck, he said: “I honestly… I’m just staying positive, because I’ve gone through being so disappointed with everything that’s happened this first half of the year. At one point, you need to pick yourself up and accept there’s a lot of things out of your control that may work against you.
“There’s things in my control I need to do better, and I’ll continue to work on that. But of course, I’m not happy with how things have gone, but I’m gonna just keep on, stay positive and keep on pushing.”
The throttle anomaly on Sunday was only the latest entry in what has become a punishing mechanical catalogue for Russell in 2026. At Spa, a software coding fault buried deep in the power unit’s calibration robbed him of straight-line performance and contributed to a collision with Lewis Hamilton that ended his race entirely.
On his last flying lap in Q3, Russell ran wide over the kerbs at Turn 4, and the resulting vibration was enough to crack the sump and trigger a water leak – damage so severe that team principal Toto Wolff declared the engine “done.” A replacement unit went in overnight – his fourth of the season, still within his allocation – and Russell lined up sixth after Antonelli’s penalty shuffled the order.
Lando Norris won the race from pole, Oscar Piastri retired from the lead on lap 56 with a gearbox failure, and Antonelli extended his championship lead from the podium. Russell goes into the summer break third in the standings.
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Russell spoke with Sky Sports F1 following the race, explaining what unfolded at the moment the lights went out:
“Terrible start – one way to put it. Nothing I could do, unfortunately. Something happened. I do take some satisfaction that the pace was strong. The team said it was as good as anyone out there, and silver lining, I guess, but one to forget for another.”
On what went wrong: “I was just on, on the throttle waiting, and then all of a sudden the engine just sort of went into… was going all over the place. It was revving really high, really low, and yeah, right now we don’t know.
“But it’s an added to the list of things that’s happened in this first half of the year. Pray things calm down in the second half.”
On how he deals with the emotional toll of such bad luck, he said: “I honestly… I’m just staying positive, because I’ve gone through being so disappointed with everything that’s happened this first half of the year. At one point, you need to pick yourself up and accept there’s a lot of things out of your control that may work against you.
“There’s things in my control I need to do better, and I’ll continue to work on that. But of course, I’m not happy with how things have gone, but I’m gonna just keep on, stay positive and keep on pushing.”
A First Half of the Year to Bury Quickly
The throttle anomaly on Sunday was only the latest entry in what has become a punishing mechanical catalogue for Russell in 2026. At Spa, a software coding fault buried deep in the power unit’s calibration robbed him of straight-line performance and contributed to a collision with Lewis Hamilton that ended his race entirely.
On his last flying lap in Q3, Russell ran wide over the kerbs at Turn 4, and the resulting vibration was enough to crack the sump and trigger a water leak – damage so severe that team principal Toto Wolff declared the engine “done.” A replacement unit went in overnight – his fourth of the season, still within his allocation – and Russell lined up sixth after Antonelli’s penalty shuffled the order.
Lando Norris won the race from pole, Oscar Piastri retired from the lead on lap 56 with a gearbox failure, and Antonelli extended his championship lead from the podium. Russell goes into the summer break third in the standings.
Continue reading...
