Wolff: We need to restore Russell's confidence

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said today that the team must restore confidence in George Russell, after the Briton blamed a car problem for the incident that knocked him out of the Belgian Grand Prix and damaged his title chances.

Russell retired on the first lap after a collision with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton. The Briton said over the team radio that it was unacceptable that he suddenly lost speed on the straight, stressing that the incident was caused by a problem with the car, not his compatriot's actions.

Wolff revealed that the failure did not only affect Russell's car.

"It was a new problem, but it didn't just occur with George. It affected all Mercedes engines, some more, some less, including Kimi Antonelli's. It's probably a software problem," Wolff said.

He added that Mercedes has a powerful engine and a fast car, but that it lacks stability.

"We have an extremely strong engine and a fast car, but it is not stable enough. We need to solve this because we are losing important points in the constructors' championship. Our task is to provide George with the best possible equipment, not only a fast car and a good engine, but also a car that will restore his confidence."

Antonelli won in Belgium and increased his lead over Russell to 50 points, while Hamilton, despite a five-second penalty for causing a collision, overtook the Mercedes driver in the overall standings and now has a five-point lead.

Hamilton stated after the race that the car "passed in front of his nose" and that due to the lack of front-end grip he was unable to avoid contact.

Russell has had trouble keeping up with Antonelli's pace in recent races, and even after qualifying in Belgium he hinted that Mercedes was having problems with speed on the straights, which, according to him, culminated in an incident in the race.