George Russell has stated that he has needed to be "the most resilient I've ever been" to navigate a series of challenges impacting his title aspirations. The complexity of new power units, including issues with calibration and code, has proven difficult to diagnose and resolve.
"These new power units are just exceptionally complex, and there was just something deeply embedded in the calibration and the code that was almost impossible to see unless you knew exactly what to look for. So I'm glad we have found it," Russell commented. He acknowledged that problems experienced at Spa and Silverstone were exacerbated by the nature of those tracks. "Of course it's a bit frustrating to have what happened on Sunday, but I'm just looking forward now, and that's how the game goes."
The impact of an energy management problem at Spa led Russell to spend valuable time addressing it, time that could have been used for other preparations. Russell noted a shift in his driving style after Monaco, aiming to adapt to the power unit demands, which contributed to strong performances in Barcelona and Austria, including a win in Austria. However, this focus on adapting his driving for the power unit meant he was "spending a lot of time trying to change my driving style again, more for the power unit, rather than just trying to drive fast." He sees this as a learning experience, particularly since the issue was identified as not being related to driving style, a validation of his understanding prior to the Spa event.
The upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix presents a different challenge. Hungary's circuit characteristics are distinct from Spa and Silverstone, and it is anticipated to favor Ferrari due to their strong cornering performance. Despite recent wins, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have downplayed their chances. Hamilton suggested that Mercedes remains the team to beat, citing their consistent performance across various circuits. "Mercedes are still the team to beat. They've won almost all the races, they're quick in all circuits, fast in slow-speed circuits, the quickest in Monaco. You have to anticipate they could be quickest this weekend as well," Hamilton said.
McLaren is set to introduce a significant upgrade for the upcoming race, with the team hoping it will improve their performance. However, driver Lando Norris expressed caution, noting that previous upgrades had not always met expectations. "We want to be optimistic about it. We want to be confident and hope that it fixes some of our issues that we're currently struggling with and limiting us with," Norris stated. "There's been a few upgrades this year that have maybe not worked exactly as we would have hoped, so I think we're just being a little bit more cautious on waiting to see if it works exactly as we expect."