George Russell stated that he and Mercedes need to internally analyze whether they are contributing, even unintentionally, to the sequence of problems that have hurt their performance in the 2026 Formula 1 season. The driver again faced difficulties at the Hungarian GP on Sunday (26) and finished only seventh.
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“Obviously, the problems are happening, but the whole team feels it too, so they are as frustrated as I am with what happened,” Russell told the press. “We need to look at ourselves to make sure we are not doing anything wrong that is contributing to these mistakes.”
The British driver highlighted that setbacks have been happening more frequently on his side of the garage and hopes the situation changes. “It’s not like we’re the only ones, but it seems to be happening substantially more with me than with others, and I hope the luck changes. I don’t wish bad luck on anyone, but I’ve never had a season like this in my career, let alone in my F1 career.”
At the Hungarian GP, the last race before the summer break, Russell started sixth, but his Mercedes W17 went into anti-stall after a problem during the start procedure. The Briton dropped to 21st place but managed to recover and finished seventh, scoring six points.
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On how to avoid a negative streak, the driver said he tries to focus only on what he can control. “Don’t get disappointed by things that are out of your control,” he said. “[In Hungary], the race was completely ruined. I did my procedure correctly at the start, the pace was good, but the result was crap, but the things I could control were okay.”
Russell also admitted that the summer break came at an important time for his recovery. “Normally I don’t feel like I need a break, but this year, I definitely feel like I need one.”
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