George Russell's Belgian Grand Prix ended before it had properly begun, the Mercedes driver eliminated on the opening lap at La Source after contact with former team-mate Lewis Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari. Russell, who had qualified on the front row and looked genuinely competitive for a podium finish, was turned around and beached in the gravel trap, his afternoon over in a matter of seconds.
"Not good enough," Russell said afterwards, his frustration evident. "We put in the work all weekend to be in this position — the car was fast, the setup was right — and it's gone at the first corner before we'd even got going." The Briton pointed to a recurring pattern of misfortune, noting this was his third DNF in the last five races and a major blow to his championship aspirations. Mercedes acknowledged their share of responsibility for a communication error in the moments before the start that contributed to the confusion.
Hamilton described the incident as a racing one. "It was a tight situation — George on the inside, me on the outside — and when the gap closed contact was inevitable," he said. "I'm sorry for him because nobody wants to see a team-mate eliminated like that, but these things happen in racing." The stewards reviewed onboard footage, telemetry, and multiple camera angles before taking no further action, classifying it as a first-lap racing incident where no single driver bore full responsibility.