“Just not been quick enough”
George Russell did not dress up his United States Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver finished eighth in Austin, 54 seconds behind teammate Kimi Antonelli, and called his own pace “rubbish”. Asked for an explanation, he had none to offer beyond a blunt one: “Just not been quick enough.”
He started sixth and held the position through the opening stint. A five-second penalty, handed down for gaining an advantage by running wide against Oscar Piastri on the first lap, was served at his only pit stop. Russell said it cost him two or three places.
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Stuck behind Piastri
For the final 26 laps of the 56-lap race, Russell tailed Piastri, who was on the same one-stop strategy, and never found a way past. Team principal Toto Wolff pointed to a narrow operating window on the car, which he said has been hard to set up since the aerodynamic revisions in early October.
Jenson Button offered a kinder reading. He felt Russell’s pace was not as far off as the result suggests, citing a poor start and the dirty air of the pack.
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Antonelli’s win, his ninth of the season and Mercedes’ first with the upgraded car, stretched his lead over Russell to 123 points. Russell stays mathematically in contention, but the championship can be decided at the Mexico City Grand Prix this coming weekend.
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