The Mercedes driver started third and emerged from La Source tucked behind second-placed Max Verstappen, but said his battery failed to recharge and left him with no electrical deployment at the top of Eau Rouge.
That allowed Charles Leclerc and Hamilton to attack on the Kemmel Straight before contact with his former teammate at Les Combes sent Russell spinning into the gravel and out of the race.
Hamilton received a five-second penalty for causing the collision, although Russell reserved most of his frustration for the technical issue that left him vulnerable.
“I made a good start. I made a great first corner and I was tucked up right behind Verstappen, but for whatever reason, the battery decided not to recharge at Turn 1,” Russell said.
“The battery didn’t charge and I exited the first corner 35 percent down. And because it didn’t charge, I also had a boost problem.
“The turbo didn’t sort itself out, so I had no power. I got to the top of Eau Rouge with 0 percent on the battery.
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“Quite frankly, it was dangerous. I got swamped by three cars.
“I shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place. That’s why I’m the most angry.”
Russell said the issue was unrelated to the straight-line speed deficit that had troubled him throughout the weekend and left him slower than Antonelli in qualifying.
He described his lack of speed on the opening lap in stark terms.
“I was going slower than an F2 car, I got overtaken by three drivers. Left me vulnerable.”
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Despite Hamilton receiving a penalty, Russell declined to heavily criticise the Ferrari driver and said the collision itself did not amount to reckless driving.
“Me and Lewis, honestly, I think it was a race incident,” Russell said.
“He didn’t do it on purpose. He was more to blame than I was. But he didn’t do anything reckless.
“That was one of those things I was most angry about, that I was in that position in the first place. I was in a great position after Turn 1. I was ready to fight the two guys ahead of me up to Turn 5.
“Instead, I got swamped by three drivers.”
Russell also stressed that the battle with Hamilton would not have occurred had his Mercedes performed as expected on the run towards Les Combes.
“If things were normal, I wouldn’t have been battling with Lewis, I would have been battling with Kimi and Max ahead,” he added.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff accepted responsibility for the power problems, revealing Russell was not the only Mercedes-powered driver affected during the race.
“We had an issue with all Mercedes engines, that we lacked power down the straight,” he said.
“That hit him [Russell] badly. It 100 percent goes on us.
“But we are trying our best as a team. We have the most powerful power unit, and we have a strong car that is capable of winning.
“Everybody gives their maximum to minimise the mistakes, but still, it happens because we are humans at work.
“We let Kimi down in Silverstone when George got a podium, which is maybe better than the result could have been, and then one DNF in Montreal, the other in Barcelona.
“It’s a little bit the story of our season. It’s a technical, mechanical sport.”
Wolff also vowed to support Russell following the latest setback, with the Briton visibly dejected after his retirement.
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“I haven’t seen him yet, but it’s completely understandable that the moment you’re out of this race, it’s so frustrating, and the emotions spoil,” he said.
“But he has our 100 percent support. We are trying to solve all the issues. He’s doing everything he can to get on top his driving.
“So, yeah, I haven’t spoken to him, but I’m gonna try to put my arm around him.”
The retirement was Russell’s second of the season and delivered another major blow to his championship hopes after he arrived at Spa-Francorchamps only 25 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Russell had finished inside the top two at each of the previous three rounds, including victory in Austria, while two non-points finishes for Antonelli had allowed the Briton to recover from a deficit that stood at 68 points after Monaco.
However, Antonelli’s sixth victory of the campaign pushed the championship gap back out to 50 points with just one round remaining before the summer break.
Russell admitted the repeated setbacks during his uneven 2026 campaign had changed how he processed another costly result.
“I’m numb to the disappointment now. When it happens so often, you just get used to it,” he said.
Russell was equally critical of the overall weekend, having struggled to match Antonelli’s pace before the opening-lap failure ended his race.
“It’s one thing after another, after another, after another,” Russell said.
“Not good enough on all regards. Try and reset again, done it enough times this season and see what we can do.”
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