George Russell was understandably incredulous after his Mercedes appeared to lose battery power, as a previously unaired radio exchange from his first-lap retirement at the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix has come to light.
Russell’s race unravelled almost as soon as it began, tangling with former teammate Lewis Hamilton at Les Combes after contact from the Ferrari sent him spinning into the gravel trap and out of contention.
Hamilton was subsequently handed a penalty for his part in the incident, but that did little to soften the blow for Russell, who was out of the race, and, as a result, a further 25 points behind current partner Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who took victory at Spa-Francorchamps.
Russell’s fury was laid bare afterwards, with a radio exchange between himself and the team being revealed.
“I am out,” he said. “What the f**k happened with the SoC [State of Charge] down the straight?” Russell fumed.
“I had no f**king battery down the straight. Guys, unacceptable. Un-f**king acceptable this whole weekend.”
Speaking to media, including Motorsport Week, afterwards, Russell struck a resigned tone, admitting the repeated setbacks this season have left him almost desensitised to disappointment, saying he is “numb to disappointment”.
He explained that he had felt well placed to challenge for the lead approaching Turn 1, only for the power loss to strike suddenly and end any hope of a strong result before the race had truly begun.
“I appreciate everyone’s working hard to solve the problem, but, you know, I’m stood here on Lap 5 of the race,” he said.
“I felt like I was in a good position to fight for the lead up to Turn 1, and then suddenly, no power, and it’s all gone.”
George Russell DNF ‘100 percent on Mercedes’ – Wolff
With just one race to go before the F1 summer break, Russell is now 50 points adrift of Antonelli in the Drivers’ Championship and will require a little more misfortune that has befallen the Italian in recent races to resurface.
Team Principal Toto Wolff was quick to take responsibility on the team’s behalf, separating the incident into two distinct issues.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the Austrian conceded the first-lap clash cost the team heavily in the Constructors’ standings, too, citing ongoing Mercedes reliability issues for the reason for Russell’s DNF.
“It’s two situations here. First is the racing, the accident that happened,” he said. “It was unfortunate for us, we lost a lot of constructors’ points and George [lost] drivers’ points.
“And then, we had an issue with all Mercedes engines, where we lacked power on the straight and that bit him badly. It 100 percent goes on us.”
READ MORE – Motorsport Week’s 2026 F1 Belgian GP Driver Ratings
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