George Russell says it is “not right” Mercedes’ rivals are trying to slow them down after their front wing came under the spotlight ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Russell and Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli have won one Grand Prix each, both fending off an early challenge from Ferrari before dominating the remainder of the race.
But, video footage of Antonelli during his maiden F1 victory last time out in China has caught the attention of teams as his front wing did not appear to fully close under braking.
As part of Formula 1’s new 2026 regulations, the front and rear wings open on designated straights, formally known as Straight Line Mode, before closing when the driver hits the brakes.
F1’s technical regulations state the transition time between the front and rear wings opening and closing must be no longer than 0.4 seconds.
Antonelli’s front wing in China seemed to not fully close immediately during the braking phase, and was beyond the 0.4 seconds in the video footage.
The FIA have held discussions with Mercedes, who claim it was not done by design and may have been caused by forces.
“It wasn’t intentional, and I don’t think it’s not an advantage, for sure,” said Russell, who leads Antonelli by four points in the Drivers’ Championship.
“It’s actually a problem, so something we’re trying to solve. It isn’t a straightforward solution, but there is definitely no advantage to that because when we brake, the front wing is still open.
“Kimi had the lock up [towards the end of the race]. I think this was a contribution to the front wing, so it’s definitely not intentional.”
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Kimi Antonelli is chased down the pitlane and showered with champagne by his Mercedes crew after claiming his maiden F1 win in the Chinese GP
Russell hits back at rivals
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has already warned of “political knives” towards the team after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who have been Mercedes’ closest challengers’ so far, said they had a “big gap” to close in pace.
The FIA have made a late rule tweak to qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix that will see the permitted energy recharged reduced from 9.0 megajoules to 8.0 megajoules.
This means there should be less super clipping, when the car recharges its battery towards the end of a straight and slows down before a corner, so the drivers can attack the corners more normally at a higher speed.
All five of F1’s power unit manufacturers – Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford, Audi and Honda – unanimously agreed with the FIA to the tweak.
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George Russell stops at the start Q3 after a problem with his Mercedes
“It’s just a small detail. It doesn’t change anything,” said Russell.
“You can recover less from your battery, so it means you need to be slightly more wise with how you spend it. Hopefully, what it means is we’ll be going slightly slower in the middle of the straight, but slightly faster at the end of the straight.
“It’s small adjustment. I’ve yet to sort of see any data of the difference from what I drove on the simulator, so I’m not exactly sure.”
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George Russell doesn’t think it’s right Mercedes are being slowed down by rule changes after two races
One way Mercedes’ rivals could catch the Silver Arrows is through the three periods of Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) during the season.
Teams judged to be at least two per cent behind the manufacturer with the best-performing internal combustion engine are awarded development opportunities. The first ADUO is due to be after the sixth round of the season in Monaco in June, although this may change following the cancellations of April’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
Asked about any games being played by Mercedes’ rivals, Russell said: “That’s just how sport goes on to be honest. That has always been the case.
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George Russell goes backwards as both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc overtake the Mercedes driver at the Chinese GP
“We have worked so hard to get ourselves in this position, and the best team should come out on top. We’ve obviously had four years of struggle. There have been two other teams over four years who have dominated and won.
“Just because we’re sort of back on top, I don’t think it’s quite right, everybody’s trying to slow us down, especially when you’re two races in.
“It’s a big old season, so things will change. We’ve already seen Red Bull is overweight and some things we saw in the press last week, McLaren haven’t brought an upgrade to the car. They’re still running their Bahrain package.
“We shouldn’t forget these things. We do have an advantage right now, but I think we’ve just really hit the ground running and done a great job. We hope it continues.”
Sky Sports F1’s Japanese GP schedule
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A look back at the wildest moments caught on the onboard camera at the Japanese Grand Prix
Friday March 27
2am: Japanese GP Practice One (session starts at 2.30am)*
4.30am: Team Bosses’ Press Conference
5.45am: Japanese GP Practice Two (session starts at 6am)*
7.15am: The F1 Show*
Saturday March 28
2.15am: Japanese GP Practice Three (session starts at 2.30am)*
5am: Japanese GP Qualifying build-up*
6am: JAPANESE GP QUALIFYING*
8am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
Sunday March 29
4.30am: Japanese GP build-up – Grand Prix Sunday*
6am: THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX*
8am: Japanese GP reaction – Chequered Flag*
9am: Ted’s Notebook*
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 heads to the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
