Mercedes explains Russell issue as Ferrari disputes Hamilton penalty – round up
Russell was left furious with a lack of power at the race start.
Tuesday’s fast-paced F1 news includes Mercedes’ findings into George Russell’s DNF, Ferrari’s take on Lewis Hamilton’s penalty and Red Bull’s thoughts on Mercedes’ PU.
Let’s blast through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…
Mercedes has provided answers over George Russell’s frustration
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Mercedes deputy technical director, Simone Resta, confirmed there have been “deployment differences” between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix.
While the team’s initial theory centred on differences in driving style between the two drivers, once Russell addressed that at Spa, the issue lingered on his side of the garage.
“We’ve been doing a lot of analysis, and we came to the conclusion that one of the major contributors was related to driving style, different driving style between the two cars,” said Resta.
“George studied that quite a lot and was able to change it and adapt going into Spa, but still, we can still see some difference of deployment between the two cars.”
Read more: Mercedes confirms initial George Russell findings after Belgian GP investigation
Ferrari baffled by ‘harsh’ Lewis Hamilton penalty
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur felt Lewis Hamilton’s time penalty during the Belgian Grand Prix was a harsh one.
After contact with George Russell at Les Combes, the Mercedes driver was left beached in the gravel and was forced to retire on the first lap, with the stewards handing Hamilton a five-second time penalty.
Asked if he felt Hamilton’s penalty was harsh, Vasseur told PlanetF1.com and other media after the race: “Yes, because so far this season all of the incidents of Lap 1 were considered as racing incidents and, on this one, the person [Russell] had far enough space to not close on the right and go on the left.”
Read more: Fred Vasseur disagrees with Lewis Hamilton Belgian GP penalty after George Russell clash
Max Verstappen’s next race engineer?
Tom Hart is set to replace GianPiero Lambiase as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull race engineer for the F1 2027 season, it has emerged.
It comes after the Red Bull performance engineer opted against a move to Williams to remain with Red Bull.
Read more: Red Bull finds GianPiero Lambiase replacement after Williams move abandoned
Mercedes rule out backing Kimi Antonelli’s title tilt
Mercedes will not back Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 title bid with team orders, despite the Italian extending his championship lead over George Russell at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Sunday’s race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit was a contrasting tale for the Mercedes pairing, with Antonelli clinching the victory, while Russell retired on the opening lap after being spun into the gravel by Lewis Hamilton.
Although his Spa DNF has dropped Russell to 50 points behind Antonelli, his deficit doubled in one afternoon, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has ruled out backing Antonelli’s title quest with team orders.
Read more: Mercedes rejects team orders despite Kimi Antonelli’s 50-point lead
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