After a challenging F1 US GP, George Russell spoke to Sky Sports about his experience in Austin, where he finished in sixth place despite demonstrating strong pace earlier in the weekend. One highlight was when he attempted to overtake Max Verstappen for the race lead during the sprint; Russell made a bold move, diving down the inside at Turn 12, but both drivers ended up running off track, allowing Verstappen to maintain the lead.
Turn 1 incident
The Mercedes driver had a strong start off the line but quickly became boxed in at Turn 1 and the exit, the notorious starting point where the race often takes a decisive turn; as a result, he lost crucial positions to Hamilton and Piastri in a race that he admitted was largely determined in those early moments.
“I made a good start off the line, but Max covered Lando, and I expected Lando to go wide to defend from Charles; he didn’t. I just got stuck behind him and overtaken by Lewis and Oscar,” he shared.
“It was really frustrating. Right now in F1, it’s a race to Turn 1. There’s no tyre degradation, and there’s only three tenths between the quickest car and the slowest car in the top six.”
The challenges of overtaking
With overtaking increasingly difficult under the current regulations, where you have to be within half a second to have any advantage, Russell underlined how small margins can define a race — or an entire weekend.
“Normally, you need at least half a second advantage to overtake. If I came out of Turn 1 in P3, I’d have been on the podium today. But I came out P6, and I finished P6. That’s just how it is right now.”
The pressure to secure second in Constructors’
With just five rounds remaining in the season, Russell accepted the growing pressure in the championship fight between Mercedes and Ferrari. After a strong points haul for the Scuderia in Austin, the battle for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship is only becoming stronger, including a surprise with Red Bull in the mix. Verstappen’s four wins in the last five main races have vaulted them back into the game.
“At this rate, Red Bull are going to be ahead of us,” Russell admitted. “It swings so quickly. Ferrari qualified ninth and tenth in the sprint; if that had been the main race, it would’ve been a big points swing in our favour.”
He went on to point out the razor-thin margins that continue to define the current generation of Formula 1, especially in qualifying.
“If I was 20 milliseconds quicker yesterday, I’d have been on the front row and probably finished second in the sprint. It’s qualifying. It’s Turn 1. That’s the whole story right now. I can’t even remember the last proper two-stop race, everything’s so processional.”
Qualifying position is key
When asked if any of the remaining five races offer Mercedes a clear opportunity, Russell singled out Qatar and Las Vegas as circuits where he believes the team can strike – the latter was where he won his second race of 2024.
“I think Qatar and Vegas are realistically our two best shots,” he said. “But again, it comes down to the lap in qualifying. If you nail it, you’re on the front row and you can hold position. If you don’t, you’re stuck.”
He added that the same story will likely unfold in Mexico, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi where tight margins in Q3 determine race outcomes on a grid where the tracks are on the narrower end.
As the 2025 season enters its final phase, Mercedes and Russell are keenly aware that execution on Saturdays may be more crucial than ever for achieving success on Sundays. This reinforces the familiar narrative that strong qualifying performance is essential for any chance of success in the race.
