F1, there is a new type of overtaking
At one point during the Japanese Grand Prix, George Russell who was in fourth with his Mercedes saw his speed collapse on the straight before the Spoon Curve, thus allowing Charles Leclerc an easy overtake with his Ferrari.
A definitely strange move, later explained after the race by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who recounted how the W17 was a victim of an energy software bug.
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These are Wolff’s words to Sky Sports UK: “In that moment there was a bug in the electrical software system, which was trying to give him an advantage. Instead, there was a superclip that slowed the car down and made him lose the position”. In short, a new type of overtaking has been unlocked in this 2026 F1, the one thanks to a software bug…
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Wolff on Antonelli and Russell
With three wins out of as many races, Mercedes is clearly the dominant force in this first part of the world championship. Toto Wolff also spoke about the advantage Antonelli had over Russell at Suzuka, highlighting a set-up error for the Englishman – which he carried over from qualifying: “The error put George in serious difficulty with the car since Q1 and even today he had to fight with this. With equal cars, the fight would have been close. Russell did not have a perfect car today”.
A comment also on the start of his drivers, who dropped back from the front row: “It was a bit of a clumsy start. We need to teach them to release the clutch slowly, calmly, and not so abruptly. We need to improve in this aspect”.
