Russell searches for Austin answers as Hamilton closes to a single point
George Russell #63 – Mercedes – United Kingdom Free practice sessions at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, USA, on October 23, 2026. © 2026 Lubomir Asenov / LAP.bg. All rights reserved.George Russell #63 – Mercedes – United Kingdom Free practice sessions at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, USA, on October 23, 2026. © 2026 Lubomir Asenov / LAP.bg. All rights reserved.
Two contrasting races for Mercedes
While Kimi Antonelli celebrated a commanding victory in the United States Grand Prix, the other side of the Mercedes garage was searching for an explanation for its missing pace. George Russell finished only eighth in Austin and admitted he did not know why he had been so far from his team-mate’s speed.
The Briton started sixth but received a five-second penalty on the opening lap for leaving the track and gaining an advantage while fighting Oscar Piastri. He served the penalty at his only pit stop, further complicating his race.
The penalty does not explain the lack of pace
Switching to hard tyres brought Russell a brief improvement, and for a few laps he matched a pace similar to Antonelli’s. Once he caught Piastri, however, he could not find a way past. He remained behind the McLaren to the finish, with approximately 1.6 seconds separating the pair at the line.
Russell stressed that the penalty did not account for the entire deficit. In his assessment, the main difficulty had been a lack of speed from the opening stint. He said he needed to analyse what had happened with his engineers and return stronger in Mexico.
Second in the championship comes under pressure
Toto Wolff defended the driver’s ability while acknowledging the inconsistency in his results. Speaking to Reuters, the Mercedes team principal explained that Russell is very quick when the car works in a way that suits him, but struggles more when it moves outside that operating range. Wolff rejected the idea that the Austin gap reflected a genuine, permanent difference in the two drivers’ abilities.
The consequences are already visible in the championship. Russell trails Antonelli by 123 points with 125 still available, while Lewis Hamilton is just one point behind him after finishing fourth in the United States. The Briton therefore also faces the immediate task of defending second in the standings. Next weekend in Mexico will give Mercedes its first opportunity to show whether it has found the answers.
Sources: Formula1.com · Reuters — reactions
