George Russell changes power unit before Hungarian Grand Prix due to leak

George Russell will change his power unit for the Hungarian Grand Prix after a water leak caused by a crack in his engine during qualifying. Russell, who qualified seventh but will start sixth due to a grid penalty for teammate Kimi Antonelli, experienced a loss of water pressure and had to stop on track. This is the fourth power unit for Russell in 2026, but he will not face a grid penalty as the change maintains specification under the season limit. Mercedes attributes the leak to Russell running over the exit kerb at Turn 4 in Q3. Russell expressed hope that the issue will not affect his race performance as he aims to reduce a 50-point deficit to Antonelli in the championship standings.