George Russell has strongly criticized his rivals for what happened at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix. After finishing seventh at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the Mercedes driver made it clear that something needs to change for future editions of the race.
Both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen cut a couple of corners due to minor contact. At the start, the two, together with Lewis Hamilton, fought aggressively for second place, leaving almost no space through the first turns. Verstappen was pushed wide and nearly hit the wall, while Leclerc, to avoid a dangerous situation, decided to go straight through the run-off area and rejoined ahead.
The four-time world champion came back onto the track in third place and later found himself battling the Ferrari No. 44 after giving the position back. Meanwhile, Leclerc, in the other SF-25, rejoined in first place before letting Lando Norris through to avoid a potential penalty.
George Russell also tried to gain positions at the start, but with all the chaos unfolding in front, he opted for a more cautious approach into Turn 1. As a result, he believes he lost ground to the leading quartet since he was one of the few who didn’t cut any corners.
George Russell’s words
“I don’t understand how three drivers can cut Turn 1 and continue in the same positions they entered,” said the British driver after the race. “It’s as if you’re allowed to take all the risks you want because you’ll get a ‘get out of jail free’ card if you make a mistake.”
When asked whether he thought there was a lack of consistency in the stewards’ decisions during the Mexican Grand Prix, Russell didn’t hold back, offering a subtle but firm criticism.
“Well, I think it comes down to the circuit,” he explained. “You know, if you’ve got this ‘get out of jail free’ card… If there had been gravel there, nobody would have tried that.”
He added, “We’ve seen this almost every year we’ve come here. I think it was Carlos [Sainz] last year, Charles [Leclerc] the year before, Lewis 10 years ago. It’s like a lawnmower race. Something has to change. Because, as I said, if you go wide, you can either make the overtake or just cut across the grass and come back to where you were before. That’s not how it should be.”
The stewards did not take any action regarding the Turn 1 incident, considering it a typical first-lap racing situation. However, Hamilton was given a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage by cutting Turn 4 during his battle with the Red Bull. Russell agreed with that penalty but argued that Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen should have been penalized as well.
“When Max and Lewis touched, Lewis rightly got the penalty. But Max was also off the track — he rejoined in the wrong place, at the wrong time for me, and I lost three positions. Obviously, I was quite frustrated, but it all started on the first lap,” concluded the Mercedes driver.
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