George Russell offered a stark assessment of his United States Grand Prix performance, describing his pace as “rubbish” after finishing 54 seconds behind dominant team-mate Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver finished eighth in the 56-lap race at the Circuit of the Americas, a result that left him at a loss to explain the significant gap to the sister W17. This margin of defeat stands in sharp contrast to the team’s overall competitiveness, highlighting individual struggles within a car that secured a race win for Antonelli.
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Russell’s race was complicated by a five-second penalty for an opening-lap incident with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, where he was judged to have gained an advantage by running off track. Despite holding his sixth-place grid position through the first stint, the penalty dropped him to eighth, forcing him into a defensive battle for the remainder of the event. For the final 26 laps, Russell trailed the similarly one-stopping Piastri but was unable to find a way past the Australian, cementing a finish that only just kept him in mathematical championship contention.
The result significantly widens the gap in the drivers’ standings, with Antonelli now holding a 123-point lead over Russell heading to the Mexican Grand Prix next week. With the rookie poised to clinch the world championship in Mexico, Russell’s admission of poor pace underscores the urgency of his remaining title hopes. As the season enters its final stretch, the Mercedes driver must quickly resolve the performance issues that plagued his Austin outing to keep his championship dreams alive against a surging team-mate.
Source: Sky Sports
