Wolff: Mercedes can’t ignore issue that ruined Russell’s Belgian GP

Mercedes concluded its Belgian Grand Prix weekend with an inevitable mix of celebration and frustration.

While championship leader Kimi Antonelli delivered a brilliant victory at Spa-Francorchamps, George Russell’s race was over before the opening lap was complete – and team boss Toto Wolff admits the issue behind the Briton’s downfall cannot be ignored.

Antonelli produced a composed performance to claim his sixth victory of the season, hunting down Charles Leclerc in the closing stages of the race after Ferrari benefited from a perfectly timed Virtual Safety Car pit stop.

The young Italian eventually made his move with ten laps remaining, turning Mercedes’ pace advantage into another win.

For Wolff, Antonelli’s triumph was a deserved reward after a weekend in which the teenager had looked consistently strong.

"Obviously super happy for Kimi and he managed to win," the Mercedes chiefl told F1 TV.

"He was strong all weekend. He probably should have won at Silverstone and DNF'd, so that is an absolutely merited win."

Despite Ferrari’s strategic advantage, Wolff was impressed by how Antonelli handled the pressure once he returned to the front.

"We thought we had the pace but the VSC again overturned it and Charles was ahead. But a super mature drive, he just eked away tenth by tenth every lap and that was really good to see,” he said.

Mercedes power issue leaves Russell exposed

While Antonelli celebrated on the top step, Russell was left wondering what might have been after a promising grid position disappeared almost instantly.

Starting third, Russell was unable to defend his position on the run from La Source through Eau Rouge and onto the Kemmel Straight. A lack of power deployment left him vulnerable as cars streamed past, before contact with Lewis Hamilton at Les Combes ended his afternoon.

Wolff confirmed the problem was not isolated to Russell’s car and admitted Mercedes must solve the issue.

"We had a problem with all Mercedes engines at the start, they didn't deploy all the power that they should have had. It's something we need to get under control," he said.

The incident was especially costly for Russell, who had already been frustrated by a straight-line speed deficit compared with Antonelli in Spas’ final sector throughout the weekend. His retirement leaves him 50 points behind his team-mate in the Drivers’ Championship battle.

Wolff promises Mercedes will keep pushing

Mercedes’ team principal acknowledged that maintaining equal performance between both drivers remains a priority, while accepting that racing can sometimes produce differences outcomes.

"That is something hopefully we have sorted but again we are racing, straight-line speed differences can happen," he said.

• Read also: Russell ‘angry’ at Mercedes as dead battery leads to Spa disaster

Russell’s early exit overshadowed what should have been a celebratory weekend for Mercedes, but Wolff insisted the team is refusing to ease off as the championship fight intensifies.

"We're trying to give it our best and sometimes our best is not good enough. Sometimes it is good enough, but one thing is we are all pushing extra hard,” the Austrian concluded.

For Mercedes, Spa delivered proof once again that its car has the pace to win – but also a reminder that even small technical weaknesses can turn a front-running opportunity into a painful afternoon.

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