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Mercedes driver George Russell has been dealing with a rollercoaster season thus far, but a technical issue is making things worse.
Russell is still trying to find a way to deal with his energy deployment issue, which is causing him to lose time on the straights.
Mercedes boasts the best overall power unit, as the team’s results show. However, Russell has not found a feel for the deployment of power.
May 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) looks on during a press conference at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The British driver’s side of the garage is left wondering why Russell is struggling so much on energy-heavy tracks, especially since he has modified his driving style.
“Even on my last lap, for some reason I lost another tenth and a half to myself, just on the straight. You’re watching on your steering wheel, just losing speed when you’re full gas on the straight,” Russell said.
“You feel powerless. We don’t know what’s going on. I don’t think it’s the power unit, to be honest. But there’s something slowing us down in the straights.”
Barcelona – Catalunya Grand Prix, Saturday, Getty Images BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 13: Pole position qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team is interviewed during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Barcelona-Catalunya at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 13, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Mercedes’ deputy technical director, Simone Resta, says the team has still not found the single factor behind the deficit in energy deployment between his and Antonelli’s cars.
“We’ve had some problems with the deployment on George’s car that we really need to understand and bottom out going to the next event,” Resta explained ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“All that started in Silverstone, where we started to see some deployment differences between our two cars.
“We’ve been doing a lot of analysis, and we came to the conclusion that one of the major contributors was related to a difference in driving style between the two cars. George studied that quite a lot and was able to change it and adapt going into Spa, but still, we can still see some difference in the deployment between these two cars.”
Mercedes and Russell will get a chance to do a deep dive during the summer break, but until then, the Hungarian GP may be quite tricky for him.
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Russell is still trying to find a way to deal with his energy deployment issue, which is causing him to lose time on the straights.
Mercedes boasts the best overall power unit, as the team’s results show. However, Russell has not found a feel for the deployment of power.
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May 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) looks on during a press conference at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The British driver’s side of the garage is left wondering why Russell is struggling so much on energy-heavy tracks, especially since he has modified his driving style.
“Even on my last lap, for some reason I lost another tenth and a half to myself, just on the straight. You’re watching on your steering wheel, just losing speed when you’re full gas on the straight,” Russell said.
“You feel powerless. We don’t know what’s going on. I don’t think it’s the power unit, to be honest. But there’s something slowing us down in the straights.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Barcelona – Catalunya Grand Prix, Saturday, Getty Images BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 13: Pole position qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team is interviewed during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Barcelona-Catalunya at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 13, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Mercedes investigates Russell’s problem
Mercedes’ deputy technical director, Simone Resta, says the team has still not found the single factor behind the deficit in energy deployment between his and Antonelli’s cars.
“We’ve had some problems with the deployment on George’s car that we really need to understand and bottom out going to the next event,” Resta explained ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“All that started in Silverstone, where we started to see some deployment differences between our two cars.
“We’ve been doing a lot of analysis, and we came to the conclusion that one of the major contributors was related to a difference in driving style between the two cars. George studied that quite a lot and was able to change it and adapt going into Spa, but still, we can still see some difference in the deployment between these two cars.”
Mercedes and Russell will get a chance to do a deep dive during the summer break, but until then, the Hungarian GP may be quite tricky for him.
Continue reading...
