The Mercedes driver, George Russell, has faced another setback in the 2026 Formula 1 championship, retiring during the first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix due to an incident with Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari.
From third position on the grid, Russell was overtaken by Charles Leclerc on the Kemmel Straight and faced an attack from his British teammate, Hamilton, on the inside of Les Combes, at turn 5.
As they turned, with both drivers side by side, Hamilton suffered understeer which led him to collide with the rear right corner of Russell’s Mercedes, pushing him into the gravel. This caused Russell to get stuck in the gravel bed, forcing him to retire immediately and activating the safety car for four laps.
Today’s situation represents a new setback for a Mercedes driver, who had recently benefited from the retirements of teammates like Kimi Antonelli at Silverstone. With Antonelli leading the race from pole, Russell’s deficit grew to 25 points behind the Italian championship leader, which is now expected to increase dramatically.
While communicating over radio, Hamilton expressed that he found himself in an ‘impossible position’ due to the understeer, while following Max Verstappen from Red Bull. The FIA stewards are investigating the incident.
After the collision, Hamilton fell to fifth position behind Oscar Piastri from McLaren.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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