George Russell is confident that the engine problems that have plagued his last two race weekends have finally been resolved. He expressed relief ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, acknowledging that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari could pose a significant threat to Mercedes at the Hungaroring.
Russell's recent struggles
Russell's race at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend ended barely 30 seconds into lap one when he was pushed into the gravel by Hamilton. While his teammate and title rival Kimi Antonelli won the race, Russell fumed over the radio, calling it "f*****g unacceptable," though his anger was directed at his Mercedes engine rather than his former teammate.
The data collected from that incident helped the team identify the issue that was limiting his battery recharging and top speed. When asked if the problem has now been fixed, Russell replied: "We believe so. Kimi took a new PU in Austria, so there will be differences, but that will come back in my favour at one point. That's just the norm."
Calibration issues addressed
Russell added: "But the main calibration issues that we saw, we hope and we're pretty confident should be fixed here. And it's a huge load off my mind. I was thinking about how I needed to drive to make the power unit fast in the straight and how I pick up the throttle, the gear usage, how early I am before throttle."
He is now looking forward to focusing purely on driving fast: "I am looking forward now to just going into a weekend where I can just try and focus on driving fast, focus on the simple things. I know that is when I perform at my best. But we are not in a simplistic sport. So saying, 'Let's just solely focus on the simple things', is easier said than done sometimes."
Championship standings and Ferrari threat
Russell's scoreless Sunday at Spa saw him slip to 50 points behind championship leader Antonelli. Hamilton currently sits between them, five points ahead of his former Mercedes teammate. Charles Leclerc finished second in Belgium and won the British Grand Prix on circuits not expected to suit Ferraris.
As a result, Ferrari is tipped to be especially strong on the tighter and twistier Hungary track. Russell said: "It's a circuit I like, but it's going to be a real challenging weekend. We know it's one of the least power-sensitive circuits of the season."
He added: "We've got Ferrari close behind. They have a better chassis than power unit at the moment so, of all of the circuits, you can expect them to be competitive here. And, of course, Kimi is performing super well every single race weekend. So it's not going to be a straightforward weekend, but I'm excited for it."
Antonelli's remarkable run
Whatever happens on Sunday, Antonelli will head into the summer break at the top of the standings. The Italian, who turns 20 in August, said: "I wouldn't say I've been the best driver on the grid, but I think we were the ones doing the fewest mistakes. And I think what brought us here now allowed us to get good results. What I can be happy about going into the summer break, execution-wise, together with the team, we've done an incredible job. And that allowed us to put ourselves in this position."
