George Russell has revealed how he defended his podium position from a late attack by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton at Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Russell explains how he held off Hamilton
Russell qualified second for the race at Zandvoort but was overtaken by Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap. The Mercedes driver moved back ahead of his young team-mate after the pit stops, although Antonelli was running an alternate strategy with a tyre offset.
Mercedes subsequently asked Russell to give up second place in the closing stages so Antonelli could reclaim the position. That left Russell defending from Hamilton, who was charging through the field and had already passed both Ferrari drivers late in the race.
“It was tough,” Russell said after the race when asked how he kept the seven-time champion at bay.
“I think Kimi’s and my race was kind of the opposite. I had a tough medium stint, he had a very strong medium stint, then I had a strong hard stint, he was struggling. But that VSC gave Lewis the free pitstop, and obviously Kimi pitted as well.
“From there on in, I knew I was going to be under threat, but I was managing enough in the high-speed corners to allow me to be fast in sector three and defending into Turn 1. So, I was pleased with that performance.”
George Russell finished third behind Kimi Antonelli. Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Mercedes faces growing McLaren and Ferrari threat
Russell acknowledged that the podium capped a “challenging couple of weekends” for Mercedes after McLaren won in Hungary and again at Zandvoort following the summer break.
Mercedes continues to lead both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, but McLaren has been improving steadily through successive upgrades. Ferrari is also expected to introduce a new engine at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, leaving Mercedes with little room for complacency.
“I think these coming two or three race weekends will be a challenge for us both [Antonelli and him], purely because we’re out of sync with the upgrades,” Russell added.
“I think we will be slightly more competitive [at Monza]. However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming, and the truth is we just don’t know. But I do believe that these high-degradation circuits [like Zandvoort] really suit McLaren very well, and especially Lando. He’s always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions. We also saw it last year. Monza may be slightly different, but I think they are the team to beat right now.”
Russell is currently second in the drivers’ standings on 183 points, level with Hamilton. Both Mercedes drivers are 59 points behind championship leader Antonelli.
George Russell has revealed the defensive tactics he used to hold off a late challenge from Lewis Hamilton for the final podium place at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver started the Zandvoort race from second on the grid, but was overtaken by team-mate Kimi Antonelli on the opening lap. Russell moved back ahead after the pit stops, although Antonelli was running an alternative strategy with a tyre advantage.
Mercedes subsequently instructed Russell to move aside in the closing stages, allowing the championship leader to reclaim second place. That left Russell defending from Hamilton, who was charging through the field while leading both Ferrari drivers late in the race.
“It was tough,” Russell said after the race when asked how he kept the seven-time champion at bay.
“I think Kimi’s and my race was kind of the opposite. I had a tough medium stint, he had a very strong medium stint, then I had a strong hard stint, he was struggling. But that VSC gave Lewis the free pitstop, and obviously Kimi pitted as well.
“From there on in, I knew I was going to be under threat, but I was managing enough in the high-speed corners to allow me to be fast in sector three and defending into Turn 1. So, I was pleased with that performance.”
George Russell finished third behind Kimi Antonelli. Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Russell expects Mercedes challenge at Monza
Russell acknowledged that Mercedes had endured a “challenging couple of weekends” after McLaren won in Hungary and then triumphed again at Zandvoort following the summer break.
Mercedes remains ahead in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, but McLaren has continued to improve through successive upgrades. Ferrari is also expected to introduce a new engine at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, meaning Mercedes cannot afford to become complacent.
“I think these coming two or three race weekends will be a challenge for us both [Antonelli and him], purely because we’re out of sync with the upgrades,” Russell added.
“I think we will be slightly more competitive [at Monza]. However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming, and the truth is we just don’t know. But I do believe that these high-degradation circuits [like Zandvoort] really suit McLaren very well, and especially Lando. He’s always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions. We also saw it last year. Monza may be slightly different, but I think they are the team to beat right now.”
Russell is currently second in the drivers’ standings, level with Hamilton on 183 points. Both Mercedes drivers are 59 points behind championship leader Antonelli.
The FIA’s ADUO announcement—covering the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities for Formula 1 power units—had been a long time coming. After the results of the first assessment period were shared with teams and manufacturers at the Monaco Grand Prix, the press release was ready in almost exactly its final form. Only the section covering the second period was missing.
The delay was caused by Red Bull’s significant dissatisfaction with the first-period result, which was reportedly raised behind the scenes with the involvement of Oliver Mintzlaff.
Red Bull had limited options to challenge the outcome. Although the ADUO system has clear weaknesses, the teams and manufacturers agreed to its framework last year. Red Bull Ford Powertrains could request only a factual review, and that did not alter the result. FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said the governing body’s measurements were accurate, despite Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies arguing that there was not a single data point showing Red Bull had the best engine.
Red Bull highlighted its deficit at power-sensitive circuits. According to Mekies, that shortfall was greater than at tracks such as Monaco and the Hungaroring, where power units have less influence. However, the performance picture at energy-starved circuits is also affected by energy management and how effectively each power unit handles that challenge.
Those factors are not included in the FIA’s ADUO calculations, which measure only the power output of the internal combustion engine (ICE). The FIA cannot disclose the precise measurement methods and data publicly because they involve intellectual property and confidential information.
“Due to the confidential nature of this information, no further details on power unit performance index measurements will be communicated,” the FIA statement reads.
As a result, the FIA announcement states only that Mercedes falls into the 2%-4% deficit category. That gives the manufacturer one upgrade opportunity in 2026 and another in 2027. Ferrari, Audi and Honda are all classified in the plus-4% deficit category, granting each two new homologations—and therefore two update opportunities—in the current season, followed by two more next year.
The ADUO system was designed to help manufacturers such as Honda that were significantly behind, but it has become a political battleground in Formula 1.
These manufacturers also receive additional financial headroom under the power unit manufacturers’ cost cap. Mercedes High Performance Powertrains can receive an allowance of up to $3 million, while Ferrari can receive up to $4.65 million.
The FIA has also introduced an additional safety net for manufacturers in serious difficulty, such as Honda. A manufacturer more than 10% behind the best ICE would be eligible for a cost-cap allowance of up to $11 million per ADUO period, plus an additional $8 million for 2026 as a whole. However, Honda was understood not to have fully met those criteria after the first assessment period.
The Japanese manufacturer can nevertheless accept the FIA’s analysis.
“I think the number we received from the FIA looks reasonable. I would say that number is fair. And also, thanks to ADUO, we are now working hard to develop our engine,” chief engineer Shintaro Orihara told Motorsport.com.
Red Bull’s opposition to championship standings may have backfired
The second assessment period produced no additional upgrade opportunities, indicating that the performance picture had not changed significantly.
For Red Bull, that could theoretically mean one of two things: either the newcomer remains at the top of the ICE ranking, or its deficit is below 2%. The latter would also produce no upgrade opportunity.
However, Motorsport.com understands that the ranking and the gaps between manufacturers remain broadly unchanged. Red Bull Ford Powertrains is therefore rated by the FIA as having the best internal combustion engine in Formula 1.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has acknowledged that Mercedes has the best overall power unit. However, ADUO assesses only the ICE, exposing one of the system’s central weaknesses: the measurement applies to just one part of the power unit, while the resulting upgrade opportunities extend further and cover electrical components as well.
Mercedes has the best power unit in F1, as Toto Wolff also acknowledged, but it has nevertheless received an upgrade opportunity.
Red Bull remains behind on the electrical side, but its strong ICE ranking prevents it from addressing that weakness under the current rules. The newcomer is therefore effectively checkmated.
That is a weakness in the system, although the FIA cannot be entirely blamed. Tombazis has told the media that he was open to including more parameters, but the teams and manufacturers pushed to keep the process as simple as possible.
One example is turbocharger size, which Tombazis wanted to include in the assessment. That did not happen, allowing Ferrari to benefit from a deliberate design choice. The Italian manufacturer enjoyed an advantage off the line at the start of the season because of its smaller turbo, but sacrificed some power as a result. ADUO now allows Ferrari to address that trade-off, particularly after it received two upgrade opportunities.
That raises questions about whether it is fair to reward or penalize deliberate design decisions, but it is how the current system operates.
The FIA also intended to factor championship standings into the ADUO calculations. The system was not designed to give the dominant manufacturer even more opportunities to develop, but insiders say Red Bull was among those that opposed including the championship position.
That stance was understandable based on the circumstances at the time, but it has proved counterproductive for Red Bull. When the discussions took place last year, the team could reasonably have thought: As a newcomer, we are probably going to be more than 2% behind, but if the chassis is good, we could still be relatively high up in the championship standings. In that case, it would logically be advantageous if the FIA did not take that aspect into account.
The reality has been the opposite. Red Bull’s ICE is highly competitive, but its chassis was below par at the beginning of the season. As a result, the championship standings are unfavorable from Red Bull’s perspective, and including them in the ADUO system could have provided the team with a lifeline.
Red Bull’s chassis has been below par, meaning that, with hindsight, the team would have benefited if championship standings had been included.
FIA acknowledges ADUO weaknesses as Red Bull faces final opportunity
The ADUO results explain why Red Bull is the only manufacturer prohibited from developing its power unit during the season. There is still one opportunity to change that: the third assessment period, which concludes after the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Red Bull does not control its own fate, however. Its position depends on its rivals. If they do not use their upgrade opportunities on the ICE—Mercedes in particular—and do not suddenly extract more performance from it than they have so far, Red Bull will remain unable to develop its power unit.
The ADUO results have therefore revealed more than Red Bull’s position in the rankings. They have also exposed weaknesses in the system, something the FIA readily acknowledges. Motorsport.com asked Tombazis in Hungary whether ADUO was currently working as intended.
“I think our measurement, in my opinion, has proven to be very accurate,” he replied. “With that said, has everything worked fine? No, because obviously people are not happy and so on. Do we need to think about improvements in the future? Yes, I would say so.”
When announcing the results, Tombazis again indicated that the system could be revised in the coming years:
“This is the first year of ADUO so naturally there are areas which we may evolve over time, in discussion with all the PU manufacturers.”
Behind the scenes, that process remains at an early stage and will need to produce more concrete proposals in the coming months.
The current outcome is perhaps the clearest illustration of ADUO’s weaknesses. The manufacturer with the best overall power unit receives development opportunities based on its ICE deficit, while a manufacturer that is weaker on the electrical side cannot address that problem because of its ADUO classification.
That issue will require consideration over the longer term. For now, however, the teams and manufacturers—including Red Bull—must also accept responsibility, having agreed to the system last year.
During the race weekend at Zandvoort, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff confirmed that Kimi Antonelli is set to serve a grid penalty at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The penalty is the result of a planned power unit change.
While the legendary Monza circuit is Antonelli’s home event, the Mercedes team believes that taking the tactical hit now is the most logical choice. Making the change in Italy helps the team avoid potential technical failures later in the season, similar to the mechanical issue that forced Antonelli to retire early in Barcelona.
Regarding the strategic decision, Wolff explained, “With Kimi, we’re taking the full thing. Our calculations say that that’s the best track to take it,” before adding, “Obviously, algorithms don’t take their nationality into consideration. We’re here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR. So yeah, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Reliability Concerns and Potential Penalty for George Russell
Monza’s famous “Temple of Speed” features long straights that heavily favor the Mercedes power unit. Additionally, the circuit offers numerous overtaking opportunities, making it an ideal venue to minimize the impact of a grid drop. Under current sporting regulations, drivers face grid penalties at the first event where any additional power unit components beyond their seasonal allocation are introduced. Mercedes has faced multiple reliability concerns this season, which also affected Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, during the race weekends in Canada and Belgium.
The team is currently evaluating whether Russell will also need to take a strategic engine penalty. “With George, the discussions are ongoing, if we were to take it,” Wolff continued.
Monza: A Track Ripe for Comebacks
Historically, Monza has been a circuit where drivers can successfully fight their way forward, often yielding highly unpredictable results. In 2020, Pierre Gasly claimed a shocking victory after starting 10th on the grid. The following year, Daniel Ricciardo led McLaren to a spectacular win despite driving what was only the fourth-quickest car on the grid at the time.
Grid penalties have not prevented strong finishes at the track in more recent years either. Last season, Isack Hadjar overcame a pit lane start to secure a P10 finish for Racing Bulls after taking on new power unit components. In 2022, Max Verstappen won the Grand Prix from a five-place grid penalty, while Lewis Hamilton sliced through the field from the very back to finish fifth.
These past performances illustrate why Mercedes selected Monza for the tactical shift, despite it being Antonelli’s home race. For fans, Antonelli’s recovery drive could provide a thrilling spectacle as the young driver fights his way through the field.
Antonelli heads into the Italian Grand Prix weekend in a commanding position, having further extended his championship lead with a second-place finish at Zandvoort. After 12 rounds, he sits 59 points clear of both his teammate and Hamilton.
Mercedes has launched a “deep dive” into Kimi Antonelli’s performance at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix after the championship leader reported a “difficult second half” of the race while struggling with the balance of his W17.
Antonelli made a strong start at Zandvoort. After qualifying third, he overtook Mercedes team-mate George Russell off the line to take second place before the end of the opening lap. However, the championship leader encountered increasing problems with the car after each tyre change.
“It was really weird because I felt good with the medium. I felt decent on the first hard, but then on the second one it just felt really odd,” Antonelli explained after finishing runner-up to McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Mercedes is now investigating the issues Antonelli faced to understand what went wrong before the next round of the Formula 1 season in Italy.
“Each tyre had a bit more oversteer than the tyre before it and we’re trying to understand why that was,” explained Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin in the team’s Dutch GP debrief video.
“Now, we didn’t change the car, we didn’t add any aero balance, which is the sort of thing that could have explained it. So, we’re having a real deep dive into the data and try and get to the bottom of that because it’s important to solve those sort of things ahead of the next race.
“It’s obviously getting really tight now in terms of performance. We’re still waiting for our major update to land and that will help but in the meantime, it is going to be a bit of a fight.”
The championship leader settled for second in the Netherlands
Antonelli said the problem left him with “little confidence in the car” during the closing stages, when he was defending against Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc while also closing on Russell.
Because Antonelli and Russell were using offset strategies, Russell allowed his younger team-mate through. The move helped Antonelli secure second place and extend his championship lead.
“George, you know, I have to thank him because he made my life a lot easier,” Antonelli explained. “But I still think probably could have stayed out and gone until the end with the same set because it put us a little bit at risk. Also, I feel we put George at risk with having to let me by and everything.
“But I still think, at the end of the day, it was a great team execution with how things were, and I think today P2 was the maximum we could have done because the pace of the McLarens, especially in the second half, was just too strong.”
Mercedes will hope to identify the cause of Antonelli’s handling problems before his home race in Italy. The team has already confirmed that he will take an engine penalty at the event because of reliability issues earlier in the season.
McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella has dismissed Toto Wolff’s claim that Mercedes lacks the budget to accelerate its car development programme.
Ferrari and McLaren have made major gains with their 2026 cars in recent weeks. Both teams have taken two victories, increasing the pressure on Mercedes after its earlier dominance.
Mercedes delays major F1 upgrade package
Mercedes has introduced only a limited number of aerodynamic upgrades compared with its rivals. The team is instead planning to bring a larger package to the October Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The delay could leave Mercedes vulnerable during the next three September races in Italy, Spain and Azerbaijan. Asked by Motosport.com after the Dutch Grand Prix whether the development strategy was becoming more difficult to justify amid McLaren’s rapid progress, Wolff said Mercedes was constrained by how its Brackley operation had allocated its $215m cost-cap allowance.
“We haven’t got the money to put developments on the car. I said before that we are trying to evenly split that through the season based on our calculations of when we can bring the biggest updates and optimising the championship points. But we just can’t do what we can’t do,” the Austrian said.
“You will see towards the end of the season whether they are going to be able to deploy as much stuff onto the car as they do now.
“Someone might have a different strategy in spending more at the beginning and the middle of the year than towards the end.”
When asked about Wolff’s comments, McLaren chief Stella expressed strong doubts about Mercedes’ financial explanation.
“I would like to believe you, but I actually don’t believe you.”
Andrea Stella cast doubt on Mercedes’ claims
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
McLaren points to additional 2026 cost-cap allowance
Stella’s scepticism relates partly to changes in the 2027 power-unit regulations. The rules will move Formula 1 towards a 57-43 split between combustion power and electrical energy, while also affecting specific areas of car design.
Teams have been granted an additional $3m cost-cap allowance that can be used in their 2026 or 2027 reporting to prepare for those changes. Stella said Mercedes could use that allowance to manufacture upgraded car components if it chose to do so.
“All teams will have an allowance in their reporting for the cost cap,” Stella said. “And if I’m not wrong, it’s like three million that you can use in the 2026 reporting for cost cap calculations. And I’m sure that Mercedes, having seen that their rivals are kind of elevating the game, I’m sure they will now cash in on their development that surely is happening in the ground.
“I’m sure the car in the wind tunnel is quite a bit faster than the car they have on track and they will want to now convert some of this potential into upgrades that make it to the real car. So, I’m just pretty sure that they will have upgrades. Obviously, it would be good if not, but I don’t even want to think about it…”
Russell: Norris a Specialist at High-Degradation Circuits After Zandvoort Win
George Russell believes Lando Norris’s back-to-back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands are no surprise, citing the McLaren driver’s historical strength at tracks defined by long corners and high tyre degradation.
Norris secured pole and victory at both the Hungaroring and Zandvoort either side of the summer break, a surge coinciding with a significant McLaren upgrade package. However, Russell pointed out that Norris has consistently excelled at circuits sharing these specific characteristics.
“I don’t think it’s a major surprise for us, seeing how competitive Lando was this weekend, considering he won in Budapest,”
Russell said after finishing third in the Dutch Grand Prix.
“It’s a very similar circuit with the long corners, high tyre degradation, with the two-stop strategy, so there’s a lot of similarities between the two circuits. I think this may continue for the coming two or three races until we start to bring more to the car, and fingers crossed our competitors don’t.”
Monza Presents Different Challenge
The next round at Monza offers a contrasting layout. While it features a few long corners, the Italian circuit is predominantly characterised by long straights, heavy braking zones, and low-speed chicanes. Russell expects Mercedes to be more competitive there, referencing the team’s strong performances at Shanghai, Montreal, and Silverstone earlier this season.
However, he acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Ferrari’s rumoured engine upgrade and the unique demands Monza places on power units.
“I think we will be slightly more competitive there,”
Russell said of Monza.
“However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming, and the truth is we just don’t know.”
Despite the circuit change, Russell maintains McLaren remains the benchmark, particularly in high-degradation conditions where Norris excels.
“But I do believe that these high-degradation circuits really suit McLaren very well, and especially Lando. He’s always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions. We also saw it last year.”
“Monza may be slightly different, but I think they are the team to beat right now.”
Antonelli Faces Grid Penalty at Home Race
Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli is set to start from the back of the grid at his home round in Monza. The penalty stems from a full Mercedes power unit change that exceeds his seasonal allocation.
