Toto Wolff and Mercedes left the Circuit of the Americas with little to celebrate after a challenging F1 US GP that saw George Russell only manage sixth, and rookie Kimi Antonelli’s race fell apart following an early collision with Carlos Sainz.
Antonelli’s promising start dashed by Sainz Incident
The weekend promised much for Mercedes’ young driver Antonelli, making his F1 US GP debut for the team. However, his afternoon went south on Lap 6 following a collision with Carlos Sainz at Turn 15 that triggered a Virtual Safety Car period.
Sainz attempted a move on the inside, and the two cars made contact that pitched the Mercedes into the gravel. Antonelli managed to free his car and continued, whilst Sainz parked just yards from pit entry, ending his race.
Team Principal Toto Wolff offered a measured assessment of the collision, apportioning blame to both drivers.
“Yeah, that’s all I would say. I mean, Carlos [Sainz] launched fair enough, but that would have not… You know, you can’t expect the driver to back out of the situation so late into the cornering phase,” Wolff explained. “But I think our car had the pace, but the moment you’re just behind anybody else in the dirty air, there’s no way to overtake.”
Despite the setback, Antonelli showcased his fighting spirit by staging a recovery drive after pitting for medium tyres. He climbed back up to 13th position and even set the fastest lap of the race.
Russell’s strategy dilemma
George Russell’s race proved equally frustrating, with the Briton finding himself embroiled in strategy complications that ultimately cost Mercedes a potential fifth-place finish. Russell maintained sixth place for much of the grand prix but found himself under pressure from Oscar Piastri and unable to make progress in the challenging conditions.
The crux of Russell’s disappointment centred on tyre strategy and the lack of degradation that had plagued the circuit in previous years. Pirelli’s solution to last year’s excessive tyre wear swung too far in the opposite direction, creating a processional race with limited overtaking opportunities.
Wolff acknowledged the situation saying, “You know, not every football game, not every Formula 1 race can be super exciting.
“There are races that can be a little bit dull, because, you know, the layout of the circuit, the performance, the small performance differences between cars, and all of that, the tyres, everything interacts. So that’s why I think we had a race today that was really bad. That played the overarching role for not great overtaking.”
Taking risks
The calls also came under scrutiny, with Russell having closed up behind Piastri towards the end of the first stint. McLaren pitted first in what appeared a slightly premature move for the soft compound, but Mercedes failed to capitalise on a potential undercut opportunity.
“It was always risky to take the soft to the end. And in hindsight, yeah, it would have been better to maybe pit a lap earlier,” Wolff admitted. “And we said to the opposite, so we were prepared to pit at that stage, but then it was too late, and the undercut would have brought us a position. P5, which would have been nice. Maximum achievable today. So this P6 doesn’t change the world in terms of points… Yeah, I think there was a score. But the hindsight.”
Wolff’s frank assessment revealed that fifth place was likely the maximum achievable result for Mercedes and Russell on the day of the F1 US GP, making the strategic miscalculation all the more frustrating even if the points difference proved marginal.
The bigger picture
Mercedes’ weekend at COTA highlighted the ongoing challenges facing the team in their battle with the front-runners. The processional nature of the race, combined with limited overtaking opportunities, meant that track position proved crucial – something Mercedes struggled to optimise across both their cars.
As the championship battle intensifies with Max Verstappen’s dominant victory extending his lead, Mercedes will be looking to regroup and extract more from their package in the remaining rounds. With both drivers showing flashes of pace, the Silver Arrows have work to do if they’re to challenge more consistently at the front of the field.
