Russell downplays crash analysis, while Hamilton supports Antonelli’s FP1 efforts, ensuring Mercedes stays on track during a challenging weekend.
George Russell reflected on the accident he suffered during FP2 of the Mexican Grand Prix. The Mercedes F1 driver lost control of his car, resulting in a violent side impact that necessitated a visit to the circuit’s medical centre.
“I’m okay, I was a bit shaken afterwards, but I don’t know what happened. The car bounced off the ground, and before I had a chance to catch it, I was already spinning,” lamented Russell, who will have to use his spare chassis for the rest of the weekend. However, he appears to have avoided damage to the engine and gearbox.
“Yet more work for the team, once again. Things are piling up at the moment. It’s frustrating because in FP1 we were very strong, very fast. I tried to take the same line through that corner in FP2, but for some reason I don’t understand, the car got away from me.”
He remains optimistic about his weekend schedule but is keen to drive in FP3 tomorrow before qualifying: “FP2 wasn’t very relevant for the rest of the weekend with the Pirelli tests. I just need more laps, so I’ll have to run in FP3, and the car will be repaired.”
Lewis Hamilton handed over his car to Andrea Kimi Antonelli for FP1, but this posed no issue for him, and he was pleased to support his future successor: “It was great to see Kimi do a really solid job for the team in FP1. It was a pleasure to work with him and support him before the session, and the programme he put together set us up well for the afternoon.”
“It’s not always easy to get back into the rhythm after missing the first practice, but I had a good feeling with the car during FP2. With the tyre test, we couldn’t change anything on the car during the session.”
“The red flag following George’s accident nearly cost us a significant amount of running time. Nonetheless, I feel that we gathered plenty of useful data to analyse and apply tonight, as we aim to make improvements for the rest of the weekend.”
Antonelli opts for a cautious approach
Antonelli took the wheel of the W15 during FP1, marking his second session of the season. This time, he managed to complete the session, despite an unfortunate encounter with debris early on that caused some damage.
“It was much better than at Monza! I didn’t take any risks; I wanted to have a clean session, get some laps in, understand the car and the tyres. Overall, it was decent, and I could feel that I wasn’t pushing to the limit, but that was my choice because I wanted a clean run,” the Italian explained.
He did not see the debris he hit and lamented the damage it caused: “To be honest, I didn’t really see it. It’s a shame because I suffered damage to the floor, which was quite significant, and it wasn’t ideal. But I managed to complete laps. I was able to build up my pace fairly quickly—I wasn’t on the limit, but that was fine.”
“I was trying to build confidence lap by lap, as it was my first time on this circuit, so I focused on learning it as much as possible. On the soft tyres, the increase in grip was impressive. I was doing consecutive attack laps, so I couldn’t set a single fast lap, but I was surprised by the amount of grip!”
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Hamilton Mentors Antonelli in W15 Amid Russell’s Setback Hamilton Mentors Antonelli in W15 Amid Russell’s Setback
