Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell faces a challenging United States Grand Prix tomorrow as a disappointing qualifying means he’ll start sixth. While his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli is starting on pole, the Briton argues that F1 may need to rethink how low and stiff the cars run following criticism of the bumps at the Circuit of the Americas.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was the first to raise complaints on Thursday ahead of the race weekend, with him describing the bumps as “unacceptable” and “out of control”. Russell backed the Dutchman, but, following his poor Saturday, added that he believes the cars are just as much a part of the problem.
“Yeah, I mean it is definitely pretty bad,” he said on the track surface. “But it’s always a challenge when you’re forced to run the car so low and so stiff. If we can get it on the tracks, then maybe we need to think about how they allow us to run the cars in a more sensible region.”
On Thursday, Russell called for F1 circuits to be resurfaced “every couple of years”, pointing out that the cars run just “10mm” from the ground at the end of the straight.
COTA chairman Bobby Epstein has admitted the dip at Turn 1 is “not acceptable in my mind”, but told ESPN there is “no easy fix”. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri compared it to “a motocross jump” after qualifying saw him finish seventh.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images
The Mercedes driver’s Saturday did not go to plan. He was 0.441 seconds off Antonelli, and said he simply failed to put a lap together in Q3.
“I think from my side, it was two bad laps in Q3. Simple as that really, you know? Was feeling very good in sector one. Feeling good, but then low speed I was struggling and just didn’t get it together in Q3.”
A mistake on his first run proved costly.
“It was just one slide around Turn 12 and then it was just a snowball. Lost it all in sector three. And yeah, simple as that.”
Lando Norris called the wind the worst he had felt, but Russell said cloud cover also made a big difference.
“Yeah, I mean cloud cover was having quite an impact as well, so I don’t think anybody improved on that last lap because the sun came out, but unfortunately my first lap was not good enough.”
Asked why the clouds made such a difference, he answered, “Well, just for everyone, the track temperature raises by a couple of degrees and when you get to sector three, that has a huge difference to the tyres and the window or not.”
Sixth leaves Russell with work to do. Antonelli can clinch the title on Sunday if he wins, with Russell finishing ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower.
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