George Russell says it is “not right” that Mercedes’ rivals are trying to slow down Mercedes after the car’s front wing attracted attention ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Russell and his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli have each won one grand prix, and both fended off early challenges from Ferrari and dominated the rest of the race.
However, video footage of Antonelli’s first F1 win in China last time caught the team’s attention as it appeared the front wing was not fully closed during braking.
As part of F1’s new regulations for 2026, the front and rear wings open on designated straights, officially known as straight line mode, and close when the driver applies the brakes.
F1 technical regulations state that the transition time between opening and closing the front and rear wings must be within 0.4 seconds.
It appears that China’s Antonelli’s front wing did not fully close immediately during the braking phase, video footage showing it taking more than 0.4 seconds.
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Kimi Antonelli wins Chinese Grand Prix, marking debut victory for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton takes first podium with Ferrari
The FIA is in talks with Mercedes, which insists the accident was not intentional and could have been caused by force.
“It wasn’t intentional and I don’t think it was an advantage,” said Russell, who leads Antonelli by four points in the drivers’ championship.
“This is actually a problem, so we’re trying to solve it. It’s not a simple solution, but the front wing stays open even when you brake, so there’s definitely no benefit.”
“Kimi locked up (at the end of the race). I think it was a contribution to the front wing, so it was never intentional.”
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Kimi Antonelli, who won his first F1 win at the Chinese Grand Prix, is chased in the pit lane and showered with champagne by his Mercedes crew.
Russell hits back at rival
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has already warned of a “political knife” against the team after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ closest challengers to date, said there was a “huge difference” in reducing the pace.
The FIA has made late adjustments to the rules for qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, reducing the amount of energy allowed for recharging from 9.0 megajoules to 8.0 megajoules.
This means there will be less super-clipping, which occurs when the car charges the battery towards the end of the straight and slows down before the corner, allowing the driver to attack corners at higher speeds more normally.
F1’s five power unit manufacturers (Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Ford, Audi and Honda) unanimously agreed to this adjustment with the FIA.
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George Russell stopped at start of Q3 due to problem with Mercedes
“It’s just a small thing. It doesn’t change anything,” Russell said.
“Being able to recover less from the battery means you have to be a little bit smarter with how you use it. Hopefully, what this means is that you’re going a little slower in the middle of the straight, but a little faster at the end of the straight.”
“It’s a small adjustment. We haven’t seen the data yet so we don’t know exactly what the difference is compared to what we drove in the simulator.”
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George Russell doesn’t think it’s right that Mercedes is slowing down with rule changes after two races
One of the ways Mercedes’ rivals can win the Silver Arrows is through three periods of additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUOs) during the season.
The team with the best performing internal combustion engine, determined to be at least 2% behind the manufacturer, will be given a development opportunity. The first ADUO is scheduled to take place after the sixth race of the season in Monaco in June, but this may change following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs in April.
Asked about the games Mercedes’ rivals would play, Russell said: “To be honest, that’s how the sport goes, it’s always been that way.”
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Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc overtake Mercedes driver at Chinese Grand Prix, George Russell falls back
“We’ve worked hard to get to this position and the best team should come out on top.Obviously we’ve been struggling for four years. There are two teams that have dominated and won over the last four years.
“Just because we’re back at the top, I don’t think it’s completely right, especially two races ago when everyone is trying to slow us down.
“This is a big old season so things will change. We’ve already seen that Red Bull are overweight and we saw some things in the press last week, but McLaren haven’t introduced any upgrades to the car. They’re still running the Bahrain package.”
“We have to remember these things. We definitely have an advantage right now, but I really worked hard and I think we did a great job. I hope that continues.”
Sky Sports F1 Japan GP Schedule
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A look back at the wildest moments captured by in-car cameras at the Japanese Grand Prix
Friday, March 27th
2am: Japanese GP Practice 1 (Session starts at 2:30am)*
4:30am: Team boss press conference
5:45am: Japanese GP Practice 2 (session starts at 6am)*
7:15am: F1 Show*
Saturday, March 28th
2:15am: Japanese GP Practice 3 (session starts at 2:30am)*
5am: Japanese GP qualifying build-up*
6am: Japanese GP Qualifying*
8am: Ted’s Qualification Notes*
Sunday, March 29th
4:30am: Preparations for the Japanese Grand Prix – Grand Prix Sunday*
6am: Japanese Grand Prix*
8am: Japanese GP reaction – checkered flag*
9am: Ted’s Notes*
*The main event will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports
F1 will be at the iconic Suzuka Circuit this weekend for the Japanese Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
