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George Russell admitted he “overestimated” the grip available at Spa-Francorchamps during FP1, leaving Mercedes to recover from an uncompetitive starting setup on Friday at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Briton arrived in Belgium aiming to reduce team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s 25-point championship advantage. However, the balance of performance between the two Mercedes drivers favoured Antonelli on the opening day: the Italian topped FP2, while Russell ended the session in eighth. The result underlined the cost of Mercedes’ early setup misjudgement, even if the gap may not yet tell the full story of the weekend.
For more on Mercedes’ Friday running, read our report on Antonelli urging Mercedes to keep working despite Spa FP2 pace.
Russell said Mercedes had been forced to learn from a difficult first session after the team’s initial assumptions about grip levels proved inaccurate.
“We haven't had the smoothest Friday here in Spa,” Russell said. “We overestimated the grip levels in FP1 and that meant our starting set-up wasn't in the right place. We struggled with a difficult car balance and, whilst we were able to complete some learning, it wasn't the ideal way to start our weekend.”
The two-time winner this season, after victories in Australia and Austria, also recognised the importance of avoiding lost opportunities as he tries to sustain his title challenge against Antonelli through the second half of the campaign. Friday’s deficit therefore leaves Russell with ground to recover, particularly over a single lap, before qualifying.
Mercedes made changes ahead of FP2, and Russell reported that the car improved as a result. While he acknowledged that more performance remained available, he was more positive about the team’s race-running pace.
“We therefore worked hard ahead of FP2 and made some changes which improved things,” he added. “There is still more lap time we can find, particularly on the single lap, and we will look to do that overnight. Our long run was more competitive and that gives us encouragement heading into Saturday and Sunday.”
That distinction will be central to Russell’s weekend. His one-lap performance requires refinement, but the stronger long-run showing gives Mercedes a more encouraging foundation for the later stages of the Belgian Grand Prix. The immediate task is clear: convert Friday’s recovery into qualifying pace without sacrificing the race performance Russell believes is already more competitive.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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