Is George Russell really going through the worst period of his career? Judging by some headlines, the Briton has suddenly forgotten how to drive. The reality is less straightforward for Mercedes: Russell remains fast, but his car seems to have developed a particular fondness for bugs, power cuts, and starts that turn into troubleshooting sessions. While Kimi Antonelli celebrates his podium finishes with champagne, his teammate is consulting the complete catalog of available faults.
Is Russell in crisis… or is it just his Mercedes?
George Russell did not exactly state that he lived the worst series of his careerHis words are both more precise and more damning for his team:
"I've never experienced a season like this in my entire career."
The nuance is important. The Briton doesn't acknowledge a sudden drop in his riding ability. He mainly observes an accumulation of problems that has become almost comical, provided, of course, that he isn't wearing number 63.
After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell he even explained that he had moved beyond the stage of frustration: I've moved beyond disappointment.
This statement sounds less like an outburst of anger and more like the diagnosis of a man who has reached the acceptance phase. After denial, anger, and negotiation, we now have mechanical resignation.
And yet, to talk about a pilot in distress would be particularly lazy. Russell He won the Austrian Grand Prix from pole position at the end of June, before finishing second at Silverstone. He therefore hasn't forgotten how a Formula 1 between two weekends: when his Mercedes agrees to cooperate, he remains perfectly capable of winning.
In Hungary, even departure needed a vacation.
Budapest was expected to offer Russell A final opportunity to close the gap before the summer break. Starting sixth, just ahead AntonelliHe could have hoped to be involved in the battle for the podium. His Mercedes clearly had something else in mind.
A few seconds before the lights went out, the engine started revving erratically before the anti-stall system activated. Russell He remained almost motionless while the entire pack passed around him. In a few meters, his Grand Prix had gone from a possible podium finish to an open day at the back of the field.
The Briton nevertheless climbed back through the field to seventh place. Meanwhile, Antonelli finished third and extended his lead over Russell with 59 points in the championship. After eleven rounds, the Italian had six wins compared to two for his teammate. In the garage Mercedes BenzThe division of roles became clear: Kimi lifts the trophies, George lifts the hood.
Toto wolff Moreover, he did not attempt to disguise the fiasco as a mysterious and tragic event. The boss of Mercedes Benz acknowledged that the problem was « entirely our fault », adding that Russell had already suffered far too many incidents of this kind. It's frank, almost refreshing. It simply doesn't make up for any of the lost points.
A dark season is dark…
Hungary is just the latest episode in a series whose plot is starting to seriously lack subtlety.
In Canada, Russell had secured pole position and was fighting for the lead when a battery problem forced him to retire on lap 30. Antonelli recovered the victory. At Suzuka, an unlikely combination of pressing a button and changing gears triggered a software bug, sending the engine into an unexpected mode and costing the Briton another position.
At Monaco, Russell had managed to climb virtually back up to fourth place, before a penalty for speeding in the pits was compounded by an error of Mercedes Benz at the time of serving it. Result: a new penalty and a twelfth place finish, whileAntonelli won the race. When bad luck isn't enough, the team sometimes adds their own homemade bonus.
Then Spa arrived. Russell suffered a significant power loss from the first lap, lost several positions, and found himself at the center of a collision that ended his race. In the other Mercedes, Antonelli secured his sixth victory of the season. The team then acknowledged that reliability was its most obvious weakness, despite having a car capable of competing for wins and both championships.
So this is no longer just a simple tile. Russell received the complete roof, gutters and probably the roofer's ladder.
Antonelli turns every problem into a sledgehammer blow.
The cruellest for Russell It's not just about losing points. It's about seeing them almost systematically fall into your teammate's lap.
When its battery died in Canada, Antonelli wins. When he retires at Spa, Antonelli wins. When he remains stuck on the Hungarian grid, Antonelli climbs onto the podium. Reliability doesn't just penalize Russell : she directly organizes the campaign of her main rival for the title.
The young Italian obviously deserves his results. You have to be there to seize opportunities, withstand pressure, and convert the speed of the Mercedes into victories. But for Russell, each breakdown now has a double effect: it destroys its own race and simultaneously rolls out the red carpet for the other silver car.
The championship thus presents a particularly stark picture. Mercedes leads the drivers' and constructors' standings at the break, but one of its drivers seems to be enjoying a triumphant season while the other is undergoing a lengthy onboard diagnostic session.
"Forget the race" before you forget how to smile
Russell recognizes that the summer break "Couldn't have come at a better time"His plan is simple: forget about racing for a while, disconnect from the paddock, and come back stronger. It's hardly the flamboyant rhetoric of a man ready to spend his holidays rewatching every race start on a tablet.
The Briton insists, however, that his pace in Hungary remained comparable to that of the best. He therefore knows that speed hasn't disappeared. His problem lies elsewhere: how can he remain convinced that everything could still change when every unusual noise sounds like the beginning of a new disaster?
The break will need to rest RussellAbove all, it will have to allow Mercedes Benz to understand why car number 63 seems to attract anomalies like a magnet attracts metal shavings.
Car George Russell He might not need to relearn how to drive. He simply needs a Mercedes capable of finishing a weekend without trying to cause him another experimental breakdown.
Antonelli goes on holiday with the top spot in the league. RussellHe, on the other hand, leaves mainly with the hope that upon his return, his car will have finally stopped taking loyalty points from the after-sales service.
