After yesterday’s crash in the qualifying session for the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes worked until 1 AM to restore George Russell’s car, going beyond the permitted time under regulations. The Englishman also had to revert to the Singapore spec as the team did not have another full kit with all the new upgrades.
George Russell will start the US Grand Prix from the pit lane, while Lewis Hamilton will begin from 17th position. Due to the crash in the final minutes of Q3, Russell’s car suffered significant damage, including to the new components Mercedes introduced for the Austin weekend. Ahead of the event, the team decided to install the two available upgrade kits on both cars, foregoing the option to use just one car with a guaranteed spare set.
George Russell will begin the race with the previous specification of the damaged parts, the same used up until the Singapore weekend. The regulations for sprint weekends allow teams to request an exemption from the FIA if, due to an accident, they are forced to use older components. Russell could have retained his sixth-place qualifying position on the starting grid.
However, to do so, the team would have had to complete the repairs within the four-hour window available in the morning, a risk Mercedes chose not to take. The repairs began on Saturday evening and continued until 1 AM. George Russell will now start from the pit lane, giving the engineers the opportunity to also adjust the car’s setup.
The team also considered whether Lewis Hamilton should start from the grid or the pit lane by replacing the power unit. In the end, they decided to have him start from 17th, as his engine (installed in Baku) is considered to be well within its limits for the final five weekends of the season.
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