George Russell’s Formula 1 title hopes received a boost ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix after Mercedes uncovered a software fault that had been holding the British driver back.
Russell retired from the Belgian Grand Prix the previous weekend after losing pace on the Kemmel Straight and making contact with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari on the opening lap. The malfunctioning software that caused the retirement was a separate issue from intermittent failures that had been costing him up to six-tenths of a second per lap in practice.
Speaking in Budapest, Russell said work at the team’s Brackley factory had identified the root cause. He said the new power units are exceptionally complex and there was something deeply embedded in the calibration of the code in the electric component that was almost impossible to see unless you knew exactly what to look for. He added that he was glad they found it.
Russell sits third in the drivers’ standings, 50 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli and five adrift of Hamilton. He drew a comparison to his F2 season, describing a pattern of bouncing back only to be knocked down again, but said he is feeling good and that his eyes are looking forward.
Russell also addressed his heated radio outburst during the Belgian race, in which he was heard saying “un-f***ing-acceptable.” He said his emotions were exceptionally high after being knocked out and described the words as pure frustration, while stressing that the whole team is standing by him.
