Russell baffled by Austin slump as Mercedes team-mate Antonelli closes on title

Russell leaves Austin searching for answers

George Russell said he was “at a loss” to explain his lack of pace after finishing eighth at the United States Grand Prix, a stark contrast to Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s victory.

Russell started sixth at the Circuit of The Americas but was handed a five-second penalty early in the race after stewards ruled that he had left the track and gained an advantage over Oscar Piastri on the opening lap. He served the penalty at his only pit stop, losing further ground, and spent much of the race unable to get past the McLaren driver. Russell finished 1.6 seconds behind Piastri.

“Yeah, it was a very bad day,” Russell said afterwards. “Don’t really know why. [I] probably did six laps from the 50 [where] the pace was okay. The others were well off the pace, so I don’t know where the performance has gone, need to understand it. I need to come back stronger for Mexico.”

Antonelli strengthens title bid

Antonelli’s win was his ninth of the season and left him two points short of securing the title, with 125 points still available. He leads Russell by 123 points in the Drivers’ Championship. Russell’s second place in the standings is also under pressure: Lewis Hamilton is now one point behind after finishing fourth in Austin.

Asked about the contrast between his struggles and Antonelli’s success, Russell said: “Right now, I don’t have the answers and, if I did, I wouldn’t be in this position. So, yeah, I need to try and work it out with my team.”

Formula 1 heads to the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend, scheduled for October 30 to November 1, with Antonelli on the verge of becoming the sport’s youngest world champion.