(Motorsport-Total.com) – George Russell was not the only driver at the Belgian Grand Prix who struggled with problems with his Mercedes power unit. As team boss Toto Wolff had already confirmed to Sky after the race, “all Mercedes engines were affected, some more, some less.”
Read more Expert: Ferrari should have hired Verstappen’s engineer for Hamilton
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri was apparently among the drivers who were “somewhat more” affected in Spa. According to team boss Andrea Stella, the Australian fell victim to “self-learning elements” of his power unit, which caused him to lose significant time to teammate Lando Norris on the straights.
The power units of the 2026 Formula 1 season feature self-learning elements that allow them to learn from lap to lap and even within a lap to anticipate and adjust energy management needs accordingly. However, according to Stella, the system is extremely sensitive.
Even very small deviations in driver input can make a huge difference later in the lap. The same applies, however, to factors that drivers cannot control, such as changes in grip levels and wind direction.
Oscar Piastri is “annoyed” by the new engines
As a result, Piastri lost significant time to Norris in qualifying, even though both Mercedes engines were running with identical settings. Stella also hinted that George Russell had the same problem, as the Briton could not explain his time loss on the straights compared to Kimi Antonelli.
No wonder Piastri was visibly annoyed by the situation in Belgium. “It’s annoying. I really can’t put it any other way…”, the McLaren driver made clear when asked by Motorsport-Total.com. The Australian criticizes that Formula 1 drivers have too little control over the power unit.
Piastri may have been the victim in this case, but the 25-year-old knows that his case is by no means isolated. The McLaren driver feels that the qualifying order this season has been determined more than once by factors beyond the drivers’ control.
“I certainly wasn’t the only one,” he adds. “I know George had a lot of problems with it this weekend, and maybe in the last couple of weekends too. And if you talk to others, it’s a similar story. So if qualifying grids are decided by computers behaving well or badly, that’s a pretty poor way to race.”
Spa: Driver ratings from Marc Surer and the editorial team
“Here it is, of course, greatly exaggerated and worsened, but yes, when you come out of a qualifying session, look at all the corners and say, ‘I’m on par with my teammate and still two tenths behind at the end’. That’s not a nice feeling.”
“Too many things beyond your control”
Teammate Norris shared the same opinion. In his view, drivers in 2026 have too little control over the outcome of qualifying sessions, especially on tracks like Spa, where energy management is even more crucial than usual.
Read more Live on TV and Stream: All information on the Formula 1 broadcast in Hungary
“It actually has nothing to do with you as a driver,” says the world champion. “Sometimes it does, and we’re talking about pressing the button a few meters too early or whatever. It sometimes just makes a big difference, but there are certain things in your control and many things, far too many things, that are beyond your control.”
Formula 1 Quiz
How many laps led did the McLaren team drive in F1?
Test yourself now in the Formula 1 quiz and compare yourself with other users
“It’s a shame that there are so many things that can determine one’s pace in qualifying. It’s not up to the driver. It’s just about hoping you get lucky and the power unit does what it’s supposed to do and doesn’t do anything unwise.”
Unlike his teammate, Norris did not experience a loss of performance in Spa, but says that he has struggled with problems from his Mercedes power unit every other race weekend this year. “Honestly, it’s cost me all year,” says the McLaren driver.
“This is, I believe, the first weekend of the entire season where I’ve been competitive on the straights. It’s the first time I’m probably happy. I’ve had the problem all season and this is the first race where I thought, ‘Oh, for once I’m happy on the straights’.”
No short-term solution for the problem?
“It was the first time Oscar was a bit behind in qualifying, but it’s not his fault either. It’s simply because the power units do what they want.” But the bad news is that there doesn’t seem to be a quick solution for it, at least not on tracks like Silverstone and Spa.
Photos: F1: Belgian Grand Prix (Spa) 2026
Because although the balance between internal combustion engine and electric power will shift to 60:40 in two stages by 2028, Piastri does not believe that these specific problems will be solved by this. “It all has to do with how the systems manage things.”
“The change in fuel flow and the reduced use [of electric power] will not fix these specific problems,” says Piastri. “It has to do with how the engine is calibrated, how the engine learns, that’s essentially built into these engines.”
“Obviously, it will get better as all manufacturers understand the engines better. It’s not just a problem for us or Mercedes, it’s a problem with all engines if you talk to some of the other drivers. But the fact that it’s a problem at all is quite annoying for more than just myself.”
Read more Formula 1 Technology: Russell’s Failure Reveals Details About the Underbody at Mercedes