George Russell Seeks Answers Following Eighth-Place Finish at U.S. Grand Prix
Mercedes driver George Russell searches for answers after finishing eighth at the U.S. Grand Prix while teammate Kimi Antonelli closes in on F1 title.
POLICY WIRE — Austin, United States — Mercedes driver George Russell was left searching for explanations on Sunday after crossing the finish line in eighth place at the United States Grand Prix. The race at the Circuit of the Americas was won by his teammate and Formula One champion-in-waiting, Kimi Antonelli.
The British driver started the event in sixth position on the grid. He ultimately collected a five-second penalty for an on-track incident with McLaren competitor Oscar Piastri, admitting he had no clear explanation for his severe lack of pace other than simply not being quick enough.
I need to try and understand why it is, Russell told Sky Sports television. It’s strange when you’re so far off, so hopefully there’s some answers somewhere. But, anyway, I don’t have one.
The outcome places Antonelli firmly on the brink of securing the championship crown, which appears all but guaranteed next weekend in Mexico. Russell remains his closest rival in the standings, though he now sits 123 points behind with a maximum of 125 still available to be won.
The pace was not good on the first stint, Russell told reporters after the race. But when I came out of the pits on the hard tyres, I probably did six laps where I was lapping the same pace as Kimi. But then I caught up with Oscar and I just could not overtake. Six good laps, 50 bad laps. I want to understand why the pace was so bad on the first stint.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff addressed the struggles faced by the British driver, defending his caliber and capability behind the wheel. George for all of us in the team is a champion and has won in every category and I think he merits to be put in the group of the very best ones. And we’ve seen that last year, the Austrian executive stated.
Wolff highlighted the car’s fluctuating performance window throughout the current campaign. This year we see this variability in results, he added. When we land the car in a way that suits him, he’s absolutely fast. But when it drops out of that operational window, he struggles. And he struggles more than maybe Kimi.
The team boss emphasized that the engineering crew must collaborate closely with Russell to resolve the underlying performance discrepancies. We just have to work it out with him, how there can be such a difference in driving, in performance, Wolff said. Because George is not half a second slower, three tenths slower than Kimi. that is just absolutely not the case.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
