George Russell admits he has “never had a season like this” after another frustrating weekend for Mercedes at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where engine problems ruined his race before it had even begun.
The British driver endured a nightmare start in Budapest after an issue with his power unit caused his car to behave unpredictably on the grid.
Although Mercedes later explained the technical problem, Russell was left reflecting on yet another setback in what has been a difficult 2026 campaign.
Frustration builds over ongoing reliability issues
Speaking after the race, Russell admitted the repeated reliability issues have taken their toll.
“Obviously the problems are happening, but the whole team feels it as well. They’re as p****d off as I am with how it’s unfolded,” said Russell.
“We need to look at ourselves and ensure it’s nothing we’re doing wrong that is contributing to these errors. Oscar [Piastri] had his [gearbox] thing as well. It’s not like we’re the only one, but it does feel like it is happening substantially more to me than others.
“Hopefully it swings around. I don’t wish any bad luck on anyone. But I’ve never had a season like this in my whole career, let alone my F1 career.”
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Pre-race engine trouble hits hard
Russell also explained what happened moments before the race got underway, revealing the issue was already apparent while he was waiting for the lights to go out.
“I was on the throttle waiting then all of a sudden the engine was going all over the place, it was revving really high and really low,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“Add it to the list of things that have happened in the first half of this year and pray things calm down in the second half.”
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Searching for positives amid the setbacks
Despite the frustration, Russell said he is trying to remain focused on the positives. He believes Mercedes showed encouraging race pace in Hungary, even if the final result failed to reflect it.
“I’m sort of past the point of disappointment now, because if I continue to be disappointed with everything that goes on, I’ll just be disappointed every day of the week. So I’ve got to stay positive,” he said.
“The pace was very strong. The team said I was as strong as anybody out there, which I haven’t been there for probably three races, so I will take positives there.
“But yeah, it’s just unbelievable the list of things that’s happened this season.”
With the second half of the season still to come, Russell will hope the run of bad luck finally comes to an end as Mercedes looks to turn improved pace into stronger results.
Michael Davey 
SportJustSport writers