Mercedes F1 team launch George Russell investigation after Hungary horror show

Toto Wolff in conversation with George Russell in the paddock — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

Mercedes launch George Russell investigation after Hungary horror show

George Russell is hoping to get himself back into the championship battle

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 27 July 2026 09:43

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Mercedes F1 team are hoping to prevent George Russell from having to take a future penalty, after a power unit failure during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.

Russell had to have a different power unit put into his car for the race at the Hungaroring, but has not yet exceeded his allowance for the season, meaning he did not have to take a penalty.

However, he is now on the cusp of having to take a penalty having used his full allowance of four power units, and his next power unit change will yield a hefty penalty.

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That would be a huge blow to Russell's championship chances, particularly given he is already 50 points behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the battle for the title.

Russell came to a halt at the side of the track during qualifying in Hungary, meaning he could not improve on his sixth-place qualifying performance, and it was later revealed that it was a water leak caused by a cracked sump in the power unit that forced his early end to the session.

Mercedes' early season reliability problems are such that both Antonelli and Russell are on the cusp of having to take penalties for their next fresh power unit, and that is likely to come after the summer break at some point.

But Russell could have a temporary reprieve, which would help his championship chances, with Mercedes set to launch an investigation into his Hungarian Grand Prix failure.

Russell given title boost

It's been revealed that Mercedes are set to ship Russell's damaged power unit from Hungary back to Brixworth, where they will launch an investigation into the engine.

The power unit department will undertake detailed analysis on the power unit, in an attempt to bring it back into action for future races.

While another new power unit will lead to a penalty for Russell, if he switches out his current one for one that he has already used, then he will not receive a penalty, so if they can get it going again then it will essentially allow him another power unit down the line in the season.

Whether or not Mercedes' powertrain department will be able to do this will likely depend on how big the crack in the sump is but, in the meantime, Russell was able to race the Hungarian GP with a fresh power unit, finishing seventh after recovering from a terrible start that dropped him back to 21st. However, Mercedes confirmed this was not his fault.

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F1 Mercedes George Russell Hungarian Grand Prix