George Russell believes his Mercedes is currently suffering from a problem affecting the performance of its power unit compared to that of his teammate Kimi Antonelli.
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After the Belgian Grand Prix, the Briton claimed he did not have “the same car” as his young teammate, notably pointing to a significant top speed deficit.
An impression that would also be confirmed by telemetry data analyzed by Mercedes.
A problem that puzzles Mercedes
Initially, the German team thought this difference simply stemmed from driving styles. Antonelli seemed to better exploit the very complex operation of the new 2026 power units, particularly in terms of energy recovery and deployment.
But engineers began to doubt when Russell reproduced exactly the same lines and approach in qualifying, while still conceding nearly half a second to his teammate. Mercedes is now investigating a possible problem specific to Russell’s car.
According to Russell, this anomaly appeared as early as the Austrian Grand Prix. At the time, the problem had gone relatively unnoticed as the Briton had still won the race.
However, the situation worsened at Silverstone, where Antonelli seemed to have a significant advantage before his retirement.
A long-standing deficit
At Spa-Francorchamps, the difficulties were confirmed. Even before the start, Toto Wolff revealed that all eight Mercedes-powered cars were suffering from a power deficit.
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Russell, however, was the most penalized. On the first lap, he lost three positions on the Kemmel straight before being eliminated following his collision with Lewis Hamilton.
Speed data illustrates this gap. Russell only reached 316 km/h before Les Combes, compared to 337 to 343 km/h for the McLarens. Antonelli, meanwhile, reached 318 km/h, a speed sufficient to overtake Max Verstappen, even though the Red Bull driver had an almost empty battery.
An algorithm to blame ?
Former driver and consultant Karun Chandhok believes the problem could stem from engine management software: « Everything suggests there’s a fundamental difference in the code used on George’s car compared to Kimi’s. This problem is buried somewhere in the software and the team hasn’t had time to fix it. »
According to Chandhok, Russell clearly sees that Antonelli is able to extract more performance from the same engine, without Mercedes yet being able to precisely explain why: « From what I understand, a problem in the algorithm then impacted a whole series of other parameters. »
This situation comes as several drivers are beginning to criticize the growing influence of energy management software on performance.
A debate beyond Mercedes
Oscar Piastri had already denounced at Spa qualifying sessions « decided by computers that work or don’t work », believing that algorithms now take an excessive place in the hierarchy.
Russell’s case seems to fuel this debate. If Mercedes manages to confirm that a simple software problem is responsible for his performance deficit, it would illustrate how much the new power units have become dependent on complex electronic systems, capable of directly influencing the on-track result regardless of the driver’s talent.
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