Mercedes' W16 is infamously known for not performing well during hot weather conditions, and now George Russell has now the exclusive experience of it. The racer shared his disappointment during the first practice session for the Hungarian GP, where he had a radio outburst claiming that he was not able to turn the car.
George Russell expresses frustration
Again, McLaren emerged as the team to beat after the first free practice session at the Hungarian GP. Lando Norris topped the timing charts with championship leader Oscar Piastri registering a mere 19 one-thousandths of a second behind him.
The battle for the second spot has become hot at the constructors' table over the past few weekends. After the Canadian GP, Mercedes replaced Ferrari for the spot of runner-up, but a terrible string of races for Mercedes turned that Ferrari were able to surpass them to move up to second yet again.
The gap of points between the two teams not stands at 28 points, Mercedes would be aiming to cut down on at the Hungarian GP. But early signs are not good enough, as Kimi Antonelli and George finished the session seventh and eighth, respectively.
Frustrated by W16's struggles during the FP1, Russell criticised the car's inability to turn for the corners and biting into the corners, as he radioed:
"Man, I can’t even turn the car."
As per the weather forcasts, the weekend is expected to move towards cooler temparatures, which might be able to sort some of George Russell's complications.
George Russell and Mercedes' negotiations for an extension of contract had grown to a stalemate, as Max Verstappen was lingering around in the background. This posed a significant threat to either Kimi Antonelli or Russel, losing out on their seat for the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has retained his status as a driver of Red Bull Racing led to the quick withdrawal of any concerns on Russell and Antonelli's future at the side. With this, there are no doubts over the duo's status at a top team in F1, it seemingly put a dent on Briton's trust, as he said:
"Now, of course, these last six months have been a very unique situation where I don't have a huge power in that sort of agreement, and maybe the interests were not aligned for some time. Which has, of course, put me at risk for these last six months. Then it was my job to perform and reduce that risk.
"I still trust in the team that they will always support me as long as I'm performing, so that's what I need to focus on. But of course, for both Kimi [Antonelli] and I these past months have not been the most assuring for our future, and that's just been a bit conflicting."
The senior Mercedes racer sits at fourth in the drivers' standings behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Verstappen.