Mercedes explains Russell anti-stall disaster in Hungarian GP

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Mercedes has shed light on the technical problem that ruined George Russell’s start in the Hungarian Grand Prix, insisting the Briton was not at fault after his car dropped into anti-stall mode when the lights went out.

Russell lined up sixth at the Hungaroring after gaining a place from team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s grid penalty, but he immediately plunged down the order to 21st, ahead only of pit-lane starter Sergio Perez.

In Mercedes’ post-race video debrief, deputy team principal Bradley Lord detailed what triggered the issue.

“What we all saw was that he got anti-stall off the line, and that dropped him to the back of the field. The question is why?” Lord said.

“As the drivers wait for the start, they hold what are called their wait revs, so the engine’s RPM, at a specific level. As George was doing that, the revs actually rose out of proportion to what he was asking for from the throttle.

“The revs hit the rev limiter at the maximum RPM that the engine allows at that point, and then George tried to get it back under control to optimise and control his start. He wasn’t able to do so, and as he was lifting right off the throttle to under 10% of throttle demand, the lights went out.

“He made a start with effectively much too little throttle through no fault of his own. That meant the anti-stall kicked in, so he dropped to the back of the field.”

Unlucky VSC timing during fight back

The explanation makes clear that the problem was caused by an abnormal engine rev behavior rather than any error by Russell, although Mercedes did not reveal the root cause of the malfunction.

Despite the disastrous launch, Russell fought back through the field and finished seventh.

“He picked the cars in front of him off one-by-one as he went through that first stint, and actually was also unlucky with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) at the end of the race,” Lord added.

“[The VSC] came out one lap after his second stop. Had he been able to take advantage of it and get a free stop as such under the VSC, he could have finished even higher up than his eventual P7 finishing position.”

Russell heads into Formula 1’s summer break third in the drivers’ standings on 160 points.

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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.