George Russell is facing a challenging season with Mercedes, and he’s adamant that his driving style isn’t the culprit behind his struggles. This weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix, his young teammate Kimi Antonelli outperformed him in every session, culminating in a race victory at Spa, while Russell was sidelined on the first lap due to an incident with Lewis Hamilton.
Just a race ago at Silverstone, Russell was a mere 25 points behind Antonelli in the standings. However, after the Belgian race, that gap has now doubled, leaving Russell and the Mercedes team perplexed about why Antonelli consistently finds more speed on the track.
In a candid moment following Saturday’s qualifying, Russell expressed his frustration, stating that he has ruled out his driving technique as the source of the problem. “We initially thought it was my driving style after Silverstone, but we have come to realize that’s not the case,” the 28-year-old shared.
He elaborated on the difficulties he faced, noting a significant time deficit in qualifying. “In Q3, I was losing four tenths on the straights. It’s disheartening to see those numbers, especially when FP2 showed a seven-tenths gap,” he explained.
The Mercedes team has been tirelessly working to identify the issue, which they first noticed during the Austrian Grand Prix. Russell highlighted the ongoing struggle to pinpoint the problem, saying, “We keep going through this cycle of thinking we’ve found the issue, only to discover it’s something else.”
Despite his initial belief that a change in driving style might help, Russell admitted, “I came into this weekend convinced it was my technique. After adjusting, it’s clear that’s not the answer.”
As the summer break approaches, Russell and team principal Toto Wolff are left with more questions than answers regarding the handling of the W17. What could be the key to unlocking the full potential of the Mercedes car?
