Russell feels it’s ‘impossible’ to challenge Antonelli amid ‘super frustrating’ issues

George Russell ended Saturday’s Qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps half a second down on Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli.

Jul 18, 2026 4:47pm UTC

SPA, BELGIUM - JULY 18: Fourth placed qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG

Mercedes driver George Russell was left to rue “super frustrating” issues after Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix – the Briton believing that it is currently “impossible” to challenge team mate Kimi Antonelli.

Russell ended Saturday’s grid-deciding session more than half a second down on Antonelli, explaining how the speed deficits he encountered on the straights at Silverstone appear to have carried over to Spa-Francorchamps.

Asked for his feelings when he jumped out of the car, Russell said: “Well, that felt good to be honest. But we’ve just been dealing with an issue with the straight-line speed ever since Silverstone, and we thought we found the problem – changed it, it wasn’t the problem.

“We thought it was the driving style, and tried different driving styles, it wasn’t the solution. The losses are just astronomical at the moment but, after looking at the data, I feel positive with the job I did. My lap, if you just take the corners, they were very good.”

SPA, BELGIUM - JULY 18: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1

Russell was left to rue a lack of straight-line speed during Qualifying at Spa

Pushed on how frustrating it feels, given his title-contending ambitions, and the 25-point gap to Antonelli, Russell opened up further on the predicament he has found himself in.

“It’s super frustrating, you know,” he replied. “Battling against Kimi at the best of times is very tough in a fair fight. When we’re in this situation, it’s impossible.

“You’re losing all the lap time in the straights, the team are working so hard to try and pinpoint what it is, because it can be a million things.

“It’s not just the engine is slow. It can be the drag or something binding, is it the bearings, is it the power unit, is it the battery, is it the wings, is it the floor? There are a million different things.

“I was trying a karting strategy of putting my head down to see if that helped but it didn’t.”

Russell will at least move up a spot on Sunday’s grid, to start directly behind Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with McLaren rival Lando Norris serving a penalty for an engine change.