F1 news: George Russell questions Mercedes’ direction ahead of Hungarian GP

Since winning the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell has failed to finish within the top four in the last three races.

Mercedes had started the season off decently, and Russell’s win in Montreal - paired with Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s first and only Formula 1 podium - suggested the Silver Arrows were on the rise.

But despite that boost and a steady stream of upgrades, the team appears to have lost momentum, reports Sports News Blitz’s deputy content editor Nicole Powell.

No threat in Spa

On Sunday, July 27, Russell was fifth at the Belgian GP, but was no threat to Charles Leclerc or Max Verstappen ahead who had struggles of their own.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Russell said, "It was pretty underwhelming, to be honest.”

The Brit also pointed out that the team had no excuse, as the conditions were theoretically in their favour.

"Because we tend to favour the cooler conditions. So we couldn't have really asked for better weather for us. But we've just had no pace recently. We need to sit down, all of us.

"We're going to have a big meeting this week with all the designers and engineers. To sort of understand the decisions we've made in recent weeks or months. And why we've gone backwards.

“So hoping for some improvements in Hungary.”

READ MORE: F1 news: Oscar Piastri wins dry-wet Belgian GP after lengthy delay

Is the flexi wing TD a reason for Mercedes’ struggles?

Back in Barcelona at the Spanish GP, the FIA introduced a technical directive (TD) that limited the permitted amount of front-wing flexing.

Since then, Mercedes have struggled to balance the car - something head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin acknowledged after the race in Spa.

"What we had earlier in the year was a car that was working well at pretty much every circuit,” Shovlin said.

"We were generally fighting for the second row of the grid, if not the front row. It's probably true for anyone that the TD won't improve stability, but we did have this wing on the car in Montreal and it was fine.”

"The fact is that other people are able to balance their cars a bit better. There's no doubt a solution in there for us. We're just looking at all the steps that we've taken with the car design over the last number of races.

"It isn't just the front wing that's changed, and I'm sure there's more that we can learn. That's what the focus is on over the next few races, trying to pinpoint why we're getting this entry stability issue."

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No time to waste

Unfortunately for the Brackley-based team, time is not on their side as Belgium was the start of a double-header in the calendar.

This weekend, F1 head to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the race scheduled for Sunday, August 3.

However, even before the ‘big meeting’ that Russel had mentioned having already taken place on Monday, July 28, Shovlin expressed confidence that positive changes can be made for Hungary.

"It's definitely possible for us to look at changing aspects of the car for Budapest. How deep we go will depend on what parts we've got around us,” Shovlin said.

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Nicole Powell

Nicole is a sports writer and editor with expertise in motorsports and football, currently managing the motorsport department at Last Word On Sports (LWOS).

She thrives on blending her love for Chelsea FC with insightful football pieces and channels her admiration for Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel into compelling motorsport narratives.

Nicole is all about making an impact - whether it's delivering sharp, SEO-optimised articles, crafting strategies for digital platforms, or inspiring aspiring writers to hone their craft.

A perfectionist at heart (and mildly allergic to typos), she approaches every project with a mix of professionalism and her signature enthusiasm for all things sport.

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