Toto Wolff has confirmed that every Mercedes-powered Formula 1 car on the Belgian Grand Prix grid was affected by a battery deployment glitch at the start of the race, with George Russell paying the heaviest price as his race ended in a first-lap collision.
The Mercedes team principal revealed the extent of the problem after Russell's race unravelled in spectacular fashion on the run to Les Combes. The Briton, who had qualified third, suddenly lost battery power exiting La Source, causing him to tumble down the order on the Kemmel Straight before being collected in a collision with Lewis Hamilton.
"All Mercedes engines had a lack of energy out of Turn 1, so it wasn't only George," Wolff said on Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps. "It affected him more than Kimi [Antonelli], but also Kimi had that issue to a certain degree. That meant that he [Russell] didn't come out at the end of the straight in P3, but P5. So he lost his two positions, and then obviously [had] the accident with Lewis."
Russell himself described the problem as "dangerous" in the immediate aftermath of his retirement. "I came out of Turn 1 and for whatever reason, I was 30-40% down on my battery and I just got totally swamped up by three cars," he explained.
The glitch was not confined to the works Mercedes squad. McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, whose cars also use Mercedes power units, voiced similar frustrations with the power unit's behaviour across the Spa weekend.
Remarkably, Andrea Kimi Antonelli managed to overcome the same issue — albeit a milder version — to claim his sixth victory in ten races. The Italian teenager retained his lead from pole at La Source, briefly lost the position to Max Verstappen on the approach to Eau Rouge, but fought back immediately and controlled the race from the front.
"It was crazy. To be fair, I was so confused about what was happening because Max came flying past me before Eau Rouge, and then I passed him back," Antonelli said. "But then I saw Charles almost come alongside me, and I was like: 'What the heck is happening?' I had no clue. I was just trying to hold the position on track, and I was looking in my mirror the whole time because I just saw so many cars coming. Luckily, we got away cleanly."
The result extends Antonelli's lead in the world championship standings, while Mercedes are left to investigate a power unit anomaly that compromised their entire customer base and cost them valuable constructors' points.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101518/1/mercedes-reveals-dramatic-f1-engine-problem-hit-all-cars-spa
