Here's the thing: George Russell is staring down a tough United States Grand Prix tomorrow after qualifying sixth, but his headache goes far beyond a disappointing Saturday. As Motorsport.com reports, the Mercedes driver believes Formula 1 needs to seriously reconsider how low and stiff these machines are forced to run, joining a chorus of driver complaints about the bumps at the Circuit of the Americas.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen kicked off the outcry on Thursday, calling the circuit's bumps "unacceptable" and "out of control". Russell echoed those sentiments, pointing the finger squarely at the current technical regulations. “Yeah, I mean it is definitely pretty bad," he said regarding the track surface. "But it’s always a challenge when you’re forced to run the car so low and so stiff. If we can get it on the tracks, then maybe we need to think about how they allow us to run the cars in a more sensible region.” Back on Thursday, Russell even suggested tracks should be resurfaced “every couple of years” given that these beasts travel just “10mm” off the ground at the end of the straight.
Well, just for everyone, the track temperature raises by a couple of degrees and when you get to sector three, that has a huge difference to the tyres and the window or not,
Track boss Bobby Epstein has admitted the dip at Turn 1 is “not acceptable in my mind”, though he told ESPN that there is “no easy fix”. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri—who locked in seventh on the grid—didn't hold back either, comparing the layout to “a motocross jump”.
Unfortunately for Russell, his own qualifying unravelled quickly in Q3. He ended up 0.441 seconds off his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who grabbed pole position. Russell admitted he simply failed to deliver when it mattered. “I think from my side, it was two bad laps in Q3. Simple as that really, you know? Was feeling very good in sector one. Feeling good, but then low speed I was struggling and just didn’t get it together in Q3,” he explained.
A single mistake started an avalanche. “It was just one slide around Turn 12 and then it was just a snowball. Lost it all in sector three. And yeah, simple as that.” While Lando Norris complained about the wind being the worst he had ever felt, Russell pointed out that fluctuating cloud cover played a massive role in track conditions. “Well, just for everyone, the track temperature raises by a couple of degrees and when you get to sector three, that has a huge difference to the tyres and the window or not,” he said, noting that nobody managed to improve on their final lap because the sun came out.
Now, starting sixth leaves the Mercedes driver with plenty of heavy lifting to do on Sunday. To add spice to the championship fight, Antonelli can actually clinch the title tomorrow if he wins the race, provided Russell finishes ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower.
