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๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Singapore /Sports

Russell confident Mercedes have resolved car issue

From CNA · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • George Russell believes Mercedes has resolved a car issue that caused him to lose straight-line speed.
  • He experienced the problem during the Belgian Grand Prix, leading to his retirement after a collision.
  • Russell feels mentally stronger after the incident and is focused on future races, despite being 50 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli.

George Russell is confident that Mercedes has identified and fixed a technical issue that hampered his car's performance, particularly its straight-line speed. The problem surfaced during the Belgian Grand Prix, culminating in his retirement from the race following a collision with Lewis Hamilton. Russell, who was a pre-season favorite, now trails his teammate Kimi Antonelli by 50 points after 10 rounds, with the 19-year-old Italian having secured six victories.

Three days later I'm feeling good and glad there are some positive answers that have come back from the factory and it's eyes forward now.

โ€” George RussellSpeaking to British reporters ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell reflected on the team's findings.

Reflecting on the situation, Russell drew parallels to his F2 championship-winning season, where he faced a series of setbacks. "Three days later I'm feeling good and glad there are some positive answers that have come back from the factory and it's eyes forward now," he told British reporters ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. He explained that the complexity of new power units made the issue difficult to detect, describing it as "deeply embedded in the calibration of the code that... it was almost impossible to see unless you knew exactly what to look for."

There was just something deeply embedded in the calibration of the code that... I mean, it was almost impossible to see unless you knew exactly what to look for. So yeah, I'm glad we have found it.

โ€” George RussellRussell explained the technical nature of the car problem.

Despite the frustration of the Belgian incident, Russell noted that he remains closer to Antonelli than he was in June. With more than half the season remaining, he believes he has developed greater resilience. "I definitely feel this is the most resilient I've ever been in my whole life," he stated. "So I take pride in that as my mentality outside of the car." He acknowledged his radio outburst reflected the heat of the moment, emphasizing the team's unified support.

Of course it's a bit frustrating to have what happened on Sunday but I'm just looking forward now and that's how the game goes.

โ€” George RussellRussell commented on the incident during the Belgian Grand Prix.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.