George Russell: Unknown challenge for F1 drivers in Spa rain

Mercedes driver George Russell has warned that F1 drivers will face a completely unpredictable challenge when there is finally a wet race this season admitting it is virtually impossible to properly prepare for running the 2026 machinery in the wet.

The Briton was speaking after a dramatic but dry British Grand Prix at Silverstone where he salvaged a second place finish despite a slow puncture capitalising on a late race safety car.

The championship now moves on to the Belgian GP at Spa Francorchamps where conditions can be volatile and the prospect of a rain affected weekend looms. A wet session with the current machinery will be a trip into the unknown for the British driver and his rivals. “You can’t really plan for it because you don’t know what you’re dealing with,” Russell explained on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show.

You don't know what the beast is beneath you. There has been some chat about the tyres might not be as good as the tyres of years gone by. So you as a driver might just have that little bit more caution on your out-lap and your first lap. You’re probably not going to go flat through Eau Rouge on your first push lap, first lap in the rain.

"No," he added after Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord had said there are no two laps alike in the rain. So you can't prepare for it You can prepare all you want but once you get out there you just have to be flexible and be able to adapt.

As he heads into the Belgian Grand Prix, Russell is second in the drivers’ championship, 25 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. The race weekend will take place at Spa-Francorchamps on 17-19 July.