F1 | Mercedes: steering issues persist despite part replacements
George Russell faced a steering problem that hampered him both in qualifying and during the first four laps of the race in Las Vegas. Toto Wolff stated: “Between Saturday and Sunday, we changed the components, but the problem remained. We need to understand why.”
In Las Vegas, Mercedes still achieved a double podium with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, effectively securing second place in the 2024 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.
However, not everything went perfectly in Sin City. Beyond Kimi Antonelli’s jump start — which did not appear to result from driver error with the clutch or brake — Russell had to manage a steering issue with his W16.
The problem first appeared during qualifying. George Russell even considered stopping, risking the chance to reach Q3. After a reset, he was able to secure a strong fourth place.
In the race, the same issue reappeared. After the start and the first four laps, car number 63 struggled to fully rotate the front wheels on corner exit. Russell worked around the problem, ultimately finishing the race and securing an important podium.
“I had steering issues again from lap 5, the same thing I had in qualifying,” Russell said after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. “I tried to drive around the problem and got used to the challenges it caused. The pace seemed pretty good in the first stint. Then at the start of the second stint, when Verstappen came out of the pits, I thought: ‘Okay, now I attack’ to see if I could take the lead, and I ended up wearing out the tires, especially the front-right.”
“I told the team: ‘I don’t think I can make it to the end on these tires,’ but they were confident considering the gap. Every lap got harder. I was slowing down more and more, and it wasn’t fun at all. Third place was the maximum achievable, but aside from the first lap, it wasn’t a pleasant race.”
Toto Wolff also commented on the issue affecting Russell between qualifying and the race: “Regarding George’s steering problem, this is the second time it occurred. The steering didn’t return properly when turning the wheels on corner exit. We need to understand why, because overnight between Saturday and Sunday we changed the components and nothing really changed.”
George Russell also shared his perspective on the W16, which entered Las Vegas as the favorite for victory. Mercedes has dominated many weekends in 2024, but this year the car is more versatile. That means fewer peak performances — and fewer disappointing races — while performing well across a wider range of circuits.
“I think if you take the average of this season, looking back at Singapore 2024 where we were terrible, this year we won. Last year we dominated in Las Vegas, and this year we still reached the podium.”
“We have a better car across all 24 races, whereas last year our car was either exceptionally dominant or terrible. Now we have a better car for a full 24-race season. Unfortunately, we might not have as many peak moments, but we’re scoring more points across the season.”
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