'Not good enough' – Russell reflects on Belgian GP DNF

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleResultsStandingsDriversTeamsF1 UnlockedOpen menuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-good-enough-russell-reflects-on-belgian-gp-after-first-lap-retirement.eINim0Y495XbHqOWvE6Gw.eINim0Y495XbHqOWvE6Gw"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-good-enough-russell-reflects-on-belgian-gp-after-first-lap-retirement.eINim0Y495XbHqOWvE6Gw","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-good-enough-russell-reflects-on-belgian-gp-after-first-lap-retirement.eINim0Y495XbHqOWvE6Gw","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/not-good-enough-russell-reflects-on-belgian-gp-after-first-lap-retirement.eINim0Y495XbHqOWvE6Gw","datePublished":"2026-07-19T14:05:04.431Z","dateModified":"2026-07-19T14:05:04.431Z","headline":"'Not good enough' – Mercedes' George Russell reflects on 2026 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix after first lap retirement","author":"F1","description":"George Russell has branded his Belgian Grand Prix weekend as \"not good enough\", after the Mercedes driver was eliminated on the opening lap following a collision with Lewis Hamilton.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9Centre/f_auto/q_auto/v1784467493/trackside-images/2026/F1_Grand_Prix_of_Belgium/2286749213.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}George RussellMercedesBelgiumShow more tags'Not good enough' – Russell reflects on Belgian GP after first lap retirementGeorge Russell failed to score any points in the Belgian Grand Prix after a collision with Lewis Hamilton. George Russell branded his Belgian Grand Prix weekend as "not good enough", after the Mercedes driver was eliminated on the opening lap following a collision with Lewis Hamilton. The Briton started third for Sunday's 44-lap race at Spa-Francorchamps, having struggled with a straight-line speed deficit to team mate and Drivers' championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, throughout the weekend. While polesitter Antonelli battled Max Verstappen for the lead on the opening lap, Russell was overtaken along the Kemmel Straight by the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton. Russell attempted to go around the outside of Hamilton into Les Combes on the brakes, but the pair made contact through the right and left sequence. The Mercedes driver was pitched into the gravel and out of the race, while the Ferrari man was handed a five-second penalty for the incident. "It all started from the build up. I came out of Turn 1, for whatever reason I was 30%-40% down on my battery and I just got totally swamped by three cars," said Russell. "[The] incident with Lewis, I've not really seen it. I thought it was probably a racing incident. I'm not going to blame Lewis. "If things were normal, I wouldn't have been battling with Lewis, I would have been battling with Kimi and Max ahead." Russell entered this weekend 25 points behind Antonelli and admitted that he needed more from Mercedes in order to challenge his team mate. "It's one thing after another, after another, after another," said Russell. "Not good enough on all regards. Try and reset again, done it enough times this season and see what we can do." Download the Official F1 AppYour ultimate companion into
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