Toto Wolff has revealed that every Mercedes-powered Formula 1 car suffered from the same energy-recovery glitch at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, shedding new light on the chaotic opening lap that eliminated George Russell.
Russell dropped from third to fifth on the run to Eau Rouge after losing 30-40 percent of his battery power exiting La Source. The Mercedes driver was then swept into a race-ending collision with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at Les Combes.
"All Mercedes engines had a lack of energy out of Turn 1, so it wasn't only George," Wolff told media at Spa-Francorchamps. "It affected him more than Kimi [Antonelli], but also Kimi had that issue to a certain degree."
Russell had immediately labelled the problem "dangerous" after climbing from his car. "I came out of Turn 1 and for whatever reason I was 30-40% down on my battery and I just got totally swamped by three cars," he explained.
The timing could hardly have been worse for Mercedes. Russell was running third behind team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli and had genuine race-winning pace, but the energy deficit turned the Kemmel straight into a trap. He arrived at Les Combes as a passenger, with Hamilton catching him at the worst possible moment in a chain reaction that also involved Charles Leclerc.
Antonelli, meanwhile, managed the problem better and retained the lead after a dramatic fight with Max Verstappen. The Italian went on to score his sixth win in 10 races, extending his world championship lead.
"It was crazy," Antonelli said. "Max came flying past me before Eau Rouge, and then I passed him back. Then I saw Charles almost come alongside me, and I was like: 'What the heck is happening?' I was looking in my mirror the whole time because I just saw so many cars coming."
McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, whose cars also use Mercedes power units, had voiced frustration with power-unit behaviour across the weekend at Spa. Norris had criticised the engine's inconsistency earlier in the weekend, and Sunday's revelation that every Mercedes-engined car was affected will intensify scrutiny on the German manufacturer.
Wolff acknowledged the cost of the glitch: "It's unfortunate, losing points for him, losing points in the constructors' championship. It's like every weekend we have one car that doesn't finish."
The problem comes at a delicate moment for Mercedes, who have shown improved form in 2026 but continue to be haunted by reliability headaches. With Antonelli leading the championship and Russell in contention, every point lost to technical issues carries heavy weight in a tight constructors' battle.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101518/1/mercedes-reveals-dramatic-f1-engine-problem-hit-all-cars-spa
