Mercedes team representative Bradley Lord has reflected on George Russell’s “frustrating” Mexico Grand Prix, claiming the British driver was “hung out to dry on lap six”.
The start of the race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has come under scrutiny after multiple drivers left the track and either kept or gained positions without receiving penalties. After keeping it within the white lines at the chaotic start, the British driver claimed he had to take avoiding action on lap six when Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were in an intense battle, which caused him to lose more positions.
“The opening laps did not go our way; George was one of the only drivers in the top five to stay between the white lines, and lost out as a result, then was hung out to dry on lap six and lost two more positions,” Lord explained in the Mercedes debrief.
“He felt rightly aggrieved at the outcome, as this ultimately shaped the outcome of his race. Kimi profited where George lost out and was managing his tyres to a planned one-stop strategy behind Bearman when George and Piastri closed to within DRS range.
"After several laps, we decided to invert the cars to give George an opportunity to attack the Haas, as he felt he had pace in hand, but he was unable to make inroads because the tyres were past their best after the laps in the dirty air.”
Russell finished the race in seventh behind his team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in sixth.
"That was a frustrating afternoon," he reflected. "At the start, three drivers cut over the grass at Turn 1 and either kept or gained positions without penalty. I stayed on the track but lost out, unfortunately.
"That also happened when Lewis and Max were battling; when the Red Bull came back on the track, I had to take avoiding action, go off track, and lost several positions myself. Those two moments were ultimately the undoing of our race.
"From there, it was difficult being stuck in a train of cars and in particular, with the dirty air. We inverted the cars to try and maximise the team result but ultimately we just didn’t have the pace to fight our way forward.
"We’ve got four races to go and need to regain some momentum if we are to emerge ahead in the battle for second in the constructors’ championship. We’re relishing that fight and looking forward to Brazil."
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