Russell insists on having the 'same car' as Antonelli following the disaster at Spa.

      George Russell's championship gap to his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli has increased to 50 points following a power unit issue that led to his retirement on the first lap at Spa. Antonelli secured victory in the Belgian GP from pole position, while Russell had a collision with Lewis Hamilton—currently in second place in the drivers' standings ahead of Russell—after he suddenly lost electrical power while ascending Eau Rouge.

      "My battery was completely depleted on the uphill straight," an upset Russell expressed. "I was slower than a Formula 2 car." He refrained from blaming Hamilton for the incident, stating, "I shouldn't have been in that position in the first place." He added, "I had zero percent battery power when I reached the top of Eau Rouge. Honestly, that was just hazardous. I shouldn't have found myself in that situation."

      Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff took responsibility for the issues. "We encountered a software problem right from the start with all the Mercedes engines," he explained. "Some were affected more significantly than others. We need to get this sorted out. That's entirely our fault."

      Russell had already voiced concerns throughout the Spa weekend regarding the mysterious lack of speed in his car compared to Antonelli's, especially on the straights—echoing similar issues he raised at Silverstone. "What can I ask Mercedes for?" he remarked. "I simply want one thing: to have the same car as Kimi. I don't need anything else. I just want the same car."

      Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen noted that managing the contentious power units in 2026 poses challenges for every driver. "Welcome to F1 2026," Verstappen said while commenting on Russell's issues. "At times, it can feel like a jungle."

      Nonetheless, Wolff acknowledged that Russell's tough weekend wasn't solely due to technical difficulties. "It was probably 50 percent related to the power unit, which wasn't performing as it should, and half may have been down to the driver's performance," he stated. "George still needs to find a few tenths. He has made significant improvements, but he’s still losing around two to two and a half tenths in certain corners. Overall, he has progressed a lot, but he still struggles to establish a good connection with the car."

      Russell admitted to feeling "a bit jaded" regarding his 2026 championship pursuit thus far. "When it happens frequently, you get accustomed to it," the British driver noted. Wolff reassured him that Mercedes is "doing everything possible" on both sides of the garage. "We have the most powerful power unit and a top car capable of winning," he said. "Everyone is working hard to minimize mistakes. However, errors occur because there are humans involved."

      Despite this, Wolff believes Antonelli has distanced himself from the rest of the competition. "The entire group is somewhat closer, but I see Kimi is a step ahead of everyone else," he told Sky Italia. Regarding whether Russell remains Antonelli's closest championship contender, Wolff added: "I hope it’s George, because that would mean a Mercedes is winning, and he’s outperforming everyone else."