George Russell has labeled Mercedes' performance at the Belgian Grand Prix as its “worst of the season” and suggested that a recent technical regulation change could be at the heart of the team's troubling loss of pace.
Russell, who qualified sixth and finished fifth at Spa-Francorchamps – over 30 seconds behind race winner Oscar Piastri – sounded the alarm over Mercedes’ sudden drop in form.
His rookie teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, struggled even more, finishing a lowly 16th after starting near the back of the grid.
“This weekend was just not good enough,” Russell said.
“The performance, we need to really understand what is going on and why we've taken such a step backwards because from these conditions today you would argue are ideal for us in our car, and once again it's been the worst performance of the season.”
“So yeah, we're gonna have a big sit down this week and try and figure it out.”
Technical Directive and Performance Slide
The culprit, according to Russell, may lie in a recent FIA crackdown on front wing flexibility, which came into effect at the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
All teams were required to redesign their front wings to comply with the new directive aimed at limiting the aerodynamic advantages gained from flexible components.
©Mercedes
Mercedes made substantial changes to its car following the directive, but Russell now suspects those revisions have backfired.
“Obviously, we had to change the front wing in Barcelona,” Russell explained.
“We then went in a slightly different direction afterwards to tackle the issue of the change of front wing and clearly since that point we've taken a big step backwards, so, it could be as simple as reverting back to something that we had earlier in the season.”
“Of course you can do that with the front wing, but in terms of the rest of the setup. But I don't know, it seems quite strange how we've gone so far backwards.”
While Russell and Antonelli managed a one-off strong result in Canada—where Russell won and Antonelli finished third—that race now looks like an exception rather than a trend.
In the seven races since the regulation change, neither driver has made the podium outside of Montreal.
A Mercedes Car “More Challenging to Drive” Than Before
A growing concern within Mercedes is that the car’s overall balance and drivability have regressed alongside its pace. Russell says the once-manageable W16 has become harder to control, especially at the rear, which has led to more driver errors and lower confidence in the cockpit.
“Definitely the car isn't feeling as nice to drive at the moment as it once did,” Russell admitted. “[It is] lacking rear stability, whereas at the start of the year it was much better.”
“Kimi and I are collectively making more mistakes because the car is more challenging to drive.”
Looking ahead, Russell is calling for a detailed internal review, but he remains realistic about the complexity of reversing Mercedes' fortunes.
“We need to sit down as a team. As I say, it may be as simple as reversing back on some of the changes we've made, but in F1 it's never that simple.”
Mercedes at a Crossroads
Russell’s comments reflect a growing sense of urgency within Mercedes as the season enters its second half. What began with four podiums in the opening six races has devolved into a struggle for consistent top-five finishes.
The regulatory shift that appeared minor on paper may have unearthed deeper aerodynamic weaknesses in the W16, which are now playing out in real-time on the track.
Read also:
As the team regroups for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix, the focus will be on diagnosing whether the front wing modifications have truly destabilized their car – or if other setup and development missteps are also to blame.
Either way, Russell made one thing clear in Spa: something isn’t right, and Mercedes needs answers fast.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
