George Russell expressed frustration and sorrow after his Belgian Grand Prix ended on the first lap due to contact with former teammate Lewis Hamilton, but his anger was directed at a recurring power issue rather than Hamilton himself.
Russell Distraught After Early Exit
Russell's race lasted barely 30 seconds before Hamilton punted him into the gravel at Turn 1. Teammate Kimi Antonelli went on to secure his sixth win of the season, doubling the points gap between the two Mercedes drivers. Russell, wiping away tears of sorrow and anger, said: 'When it happens so often, you just get used to it. I'm numb to the disappointment.'
Power Issue Blamed for Incident
Russell explained that a battery recharge failure left him vulnerable. 'I made a great first corner and I was tucked up right behind Verstappen. But, for whatever reason, the battery decided not to recharge at turn one. I got to the top of Eau Rouge with zero percent on the battery. It was dangerous, and I got swamped by three cars. I shouldn't have been in that position in the first place, that's why I'm most angry. With Lewis, honestly, I think it was a racing incident.'
Hamilton Penalised for Collision
Stewards disagreed with Russell's assessment, handing Hamilton a five-second penalty for being 'wholly to blame' for the collision. The seven-time champion finished fourth. He also faced an unsafe release incident during a pit stop, knocking over a mechanic, though no lasting damage occurred. Hamilton said: 'The green light went, and so I went. You're looking over here at the light and not over there at the mechanic. That's more on the team, ultimately. But when it happened, I noticed him and I stopped and what went through my mind at that moment was when Kimi [Raikkonen] hit and broke the leg, and my heart really sank for a second. I'm really grateful he's okay.'
Hamilton Takes Responsibility
Hamilton took 'full responsibility' for his underwhelming result, pointing to a practice crash on Saturday as the turning point. 'It meant I was maybe three tenths slower than I should have been in qualifying. And then I was further back, got into the incident, five-second penalty... it's a domino effect from a mistake I made. I think our pace today, without the damage, we could have been challenging for the win.'
Antonelli Dominates
Charles Leclerc put up a fight in the other Ferrari, but Antonelli was irresistible. 'It was a hard-fought race, not straightforward at all. To get the win was very special, but you can never relax because we've seen how the situation can swing so quickly. It's great, but of course there's still a lot of work to do,' the teenager said.
