Racing
© Jonathan Borba
A setup change that left George Russell’s Mercedes unstable, followed by a safety car at the worst possible moment, cost him a likely win in Japan. He finished fourth, and teammate Kimi Antonelli moved into the World Championship lead. The weekend turned on a pre-qualifying tweak that Mercedes later regretted, and a race neutralization that flipped track position in Antonelli’s favor.
Qualifying never matched Russell’s early-season form. He reported a rear-end mechanical issue and said the late setup change gave him severe oversteer and a different balance. The team removed front wing to compensate, but the car stayed nervous on turn-in and unstable on exit. Mercedes admitted the adjustment hurt his car and could not be fully reversed under parc fermé. The compromise left Russell fighting the car into Saturday night.
The race opened with more trouble. Russell made a poor start and lost ground. He steadied his pace, cleared traffic, and moved back into the lead fight as the first stint unfolded. Mercedes brought him in on lap 22 to cover the window and protect track position. The plan collapsed a lap later when Ollie Bearman crashed and the safety car came out. Antonelli had not stopped and took his service under the caution. He emerged in front while Russell, already committed to his strategy, rejoined behind and surrendered the place he had worked to gain.
The restart brought fresh pain. Russell reported energy and restart limitations. He lacked deployment in the early laps after the safety car and lost momentum. Rivals passed him, and his push back through the field stalled. He crossed the line in fourth, which ended his run of podiums that had shaped his strong start to 2026. Antonelli’s finish, boosted by the timing of the stop, lifted the Italian to the top of the drivers’ standings.
Russell did not hide his frustration. He said recent problems have “fallen on his side” and pointed to the setup swing before qualifying as the main cause. He had felt in control earlier in the year, then found himself managing a nervous rear end through a full race distance. The outcome contrasted with his form in the opening rounds, where he had built early momentum and a points cushion.
Team principal Toto Wolff accepted that Mercedes made setup mistakes. He said the late change compromised Russell’s balance and that the team needs to improve its decision-making windows. He also flagged the need to fix starts after Russell lost ground off the line. The safety car timing was out of their hands, but Wolff said execution on controllable items must improve.
The safety car reshaped the race at the front. Before the caution, Russell had the pace to challenge and had placed himself in an undercut window. After it, he sat behind cars on newer tires, then dealt with reduced energy on the restart. Antonelli, who benefitted from the free stop, controlled his race from there and maximized the swing in points.
Both drivers and the team pointed to the mid-season break as a chance to reset. Mercedes will review the setup model that led to the pre-qualifying change and tighten the process that governs parc fermé decisions. They will also work on launch procedures and energy deployment targets for restarts. The aim is to return Russell to the front after the break and to support Antonelli’s push at the top of the table.
Japan marked a sharp turn in Russell’s season. A late setup call and the luck of the safety car turned a likely win into fourth place, and a championship lead into a chase. Antonelli leaves with the points edge. Russell leaves with work to do and a clear list of fixes inside Mercedes.