– Mercedes driver George Russell has warned that Formula 1 drivers face a completely unpredictable challenge when the first rain race finally takes place this season. He openly admits that it is practically impossible to properly prepare for the use of the 2026 cars in wet conditions.
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Russell spoke after a dramatic but dry British Grand Prix at Silverstone. There, despite a slow puncture, he still managed to save second place by benefiting from a late safety car phase.
As the World Championship now heads towards the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps – a race track known for its changeable conditions – the prospect of a rainy weekend is on the table. For the British driver and his rivals, a wet session in the current cars means venturing into the absolute unknown.
The big unknown
“You really can’t plan for it because you simply don’t know what you’re dealing with,” Russell explained on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show.
“You don’t know what kind of beast is under you. There have already been some discussions that the tires might not be as good as in previous years. As a driver, you probably take it a bit more cautiously on the out-lap and in the first lap.”
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“You probably won’t go full throttle through Eau Rouge on your first push lap, the first lap in the rain,” he clarifies.
Preparation for nothing?
Bradley Lord, Mercedes’ deputy team principal, noted that no two laps in the rain are the same. Russell agreed: “No. So you can’t really prepare for it. You can do as much preparation as you want, but once you’re out there, you just have to be flexible and able to adapt.”
Russell travels to the Belgian Grand Prix as second in the championship, 25 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. The race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps takes place from July 17 to 19.
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