A Spa-Francorchamps to forget
The Belgian Grand Prix lasted less than a minute for George Russell, who ended up in the gravel at Les Combes after contact with Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
The Federation investigated what happened, then giving Hamilton a 5-second penalty and thus assigning the seven-time world champion the greater responsibility for the incident.
Read more 2026 Drivers’ World Championship: the standings after the Belgian GP
Russell was on the outside, while Hamilton on the inside was the victim of a ‘snap’ that caused him to hit the Mercedes of his former teammate, who ended his race in the runoff area.
Russell exonerates Hamilton
“The incident was a normal racing incident,” Russell clarified in front of journalists’ microphones, adding: “Maybe I could have given him a bit more space and he could have braked a bit more. But if I had straight-line speed, this incident would never have happened.”
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Russell cannot help but think about the damage suffered in the world championship perspective: “I am very, very disappointed and there is not much else to say. At this moment I am speechless. I recognize that everyone is working to solve this problem, but I did not get past Turn 5. I felt in a good position for Turn 1 and suddenly I lost power and from there everything vanished”.
Read more 2026 Constructors’ Championship: the standings after the Belgian GP
