Mercedes finds fix for Russell's engine after power loss in Belgium

Mercedes has implemented software updates to George Russell’s power unit ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix after identifying the root cause of the performance loss that compromised the driver’s weekend at the Belgian GP. The fix aims to prevent the Briton from suffering further energy management failures like those that plagued both his qualifying session and race at Spa-Francorchamps.

According to a report by British outlet The Race, the loss of performance stemmed from a deep-seated bug within the power unit control code. Having pinpointed the flaw, Mercedes introduced countermeasures to minimize the risk of a repeat occurrence starting this weekend.

Russell began experiencing the anomaly as early as qualifying, losing several tenths on his final flying lap due to deficient power delivery. The Briton was also left without sufficient electrical energy on the approach to the Bus Stop chicane, severely hampering his speed onto the main straight.

In the race, the issue resurfaced immediately off the line. A drop in power exiting Raidillon left Russell defenseless down the Kemmel Straight, a situation that directly contributed to his opening-lap collision with Lewis Hamilton.

F1 2026, SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, CORRIDA, MERCEDES, GEORGE RUSSELL — A software glitch proved decisive in George Russell’s first-lap incident at the Belgian GP (Photo: F1)

According to the report, the collision was tied to the software error, which similarly affected Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s car. In both instances, the power unit was drawing more electrical energy than intended to counteract turbo lag, leaving the battery depleted far earlier than expected.

Formula 1 returns July 24–26 in Budapest for the Hungarian GP, Round 11 of the 2026 season.