F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Russell's FW43 fitted with new power unit for Styrian GP

Williams' George Russell will take a new Mercedes power unit for this weekend's Styrian Grand Prix after an investigation into his engine failure last Sunday in Austria revealed a gear drive issue.

Russell qualified P17 at Spielberg last weekend, narrowly missing the Q2 cut. The young Briton worked his way up to 12th on race day, taking advantage of the event's high attrition rate, but the gremlins crept in after 49 laps, forcing the Williams charger to park his car.

Mercedes has 'new components' to help solve gearbox issues

A subsequent analysis by Mercedes back at its Brixworth engine department revealed a gear driver specific to Russell's unit.

The 22-year-old will therefore take a new internal combustion engine, turbocharger and MGU-H for this weekend's second round of racing at the Red Bull Ring.

As a reminder, drivers are allowed three Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Turbo Charger (TC), MGU-H and MGU-K over the course of the season, meaning Russell will not suffer a grid drop this weekend following the unit's changes.

But he could find himself on the bubble sooner rather than later.

Drivers are still only allowed two Energy Stores and two Control Electronics per year.

While Russell likely missed out on a points finish because of his engine troubles, the Williams driver says he and his team have bigger ambitions than to rely on luck for points this season.

"Points were definitely there for the taking but I have greater aspirations, the team has greater aspirations than just scoring, or inheriting a point on one of these crazy races," he said.

"As nice as it would have been [to score points] we want to be earning these points fair and square."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.