For George Russell, Sunday’s (26) Hungarian GP was over right at the start when he plummeted to 22nd place. The Briton, however, said that Mercedes’ race pace was at least good news for the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, where he will have to close a gap that has only increased against Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the title fight.
Lined up in the seventh grid slot, the #63 car suffered from anti-stall when the lights went out and, as a result, was overtaken even by the Cadillac duo. The team even tried an alternative strategy by extending his first stint on medium tires, but the more experienced of the duo couldn’t do much more and had to settle for seventh place.
“An awful start is one way to sum up [how the race went]. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do. Something happened,” Russell began in an interview with British broadcaster Sky Sports. “At least I’m pleased to know the pace was strong. The team said we were on par with the quickest on track, so that’s the silver lining. It’s been one issue after another,” he lamented.
He was then asked to provide more details about the start procedure. “I was on the throttle waiting for the start when, suddenly, the engine started oscillating completely. The revs would go way up and then drop way down. You can add that to the list of things that have happened to me in this first half of the year and hope that everything settles down in the second,” he continued.
“I remain optimistic. I’m already past the phase of being bitterly disappointed with everything that has happened in this first half of the season. There comes a time when you just have to pick yourself up and accept that there are many things outside your control that can work against you. There are also aspects that depend on me and where I need to improve, and I will keep working on that. Of course, I’m not satisfied with how things have gone, but I will keep a positive attitude and move forward,” he concluded.
Formula 1 now enters the summer break. The 2026 season resumes from August 21–23 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
