RUSSELL CALLS BELGIAN GP CONTACT WITH HAMILTON A RACING INCIDENT
George Russell described his first-lap collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix as a racing incident, explaining that a lack of straight-line speed and a battery issue played a role in the crash that ended his race.
The Mercedes driver retired on the opening lap at Spa-Francorchamps after making contact with Hamilton’s Ferrari at Les Combes. Russell had attempted to defend his position after the run through Eau Rouge and Raidillon, but the two cars touched while fighting for track position, leaving Russell with damage that forced him to retire.
Speaking after the incident, Russell said he did not believe Hamilton had made a reckless move and accepted that contact can happen in close racing.
“I think it was a racing incident. He didn’t do anything reckless by looking at it. It probably wouldn’t have happened if we had the straight-line speed down the straight, but at Eau Rouge my battery was at 0%.”
The British driver explained that Mercedes’ energy deployment left him vulnerable on the Kemmel Straight, where Ferrari was able to close the gap and attack. With no additional electrical power available, Russell had limited options to defend his position.
The incident was reviewed by race control, and a 5-second penalty was issued to Hamilton. The retirement was a disappointing result for Russell after Mercedes had shown strong pace throughout the weekend. Teammate Kimi Antonelli had taken pole position and later won the race, while Russell had qualified fourth and was expected to fight near the front.
Hamilton continued after the contact and finished fourth behind Verstappen.
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