George Russell has admitted he was “very lucky” to finish sixth at the Mexican Grand Prix, while his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen
At the Mexican Grand Prix, George Russell says he is “not too worried” despite Mercedes colleague Lewis Hamilton outperforming him.
Russell, who started the race in ninth place and finished sixth, said he was “very lucky” to stave off a late challenge from Daniel Ricciardo of AlphaTauri. In contrast, Hamilton finished second in Mexico City to defending champion Max Verstappen.
Russell and Hamilton have only finished together in one race since the season returned from summer break—the Italian Grand Prix. Russell also states that he is looking for “clarity” from his crew following two setbacks the previous week: a fuel issue in Texas and a braking issue in Mexico.
It was like driving on ice for the last 15 laps, which was a pretty miserable feeling and I was very lucky to finish P6,” Russell said after the race. “We were strong here last year, we qualified on the front row and probably should have had a podium last year.
“We’ve done a great job, but like everyone else, this weekend has been all about the tires. For better or worse, many teams were completely unprepared for qualifying, but hopefully Brazil won’t be too picky about tires.
“Considering the circumstances surrounding [the Hamilton deficit], I’m not overly concerned. For two distinct reasons, it has been two consecutive race weekends.
“This past weekend, the brakes failed, whereas last time [in the United States], it was the fuel [saving].” We require clarification.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, was delighted with his performance and admitted he can’t wait to get to Brazil for the next race. “It’s a great result considering we started from P6 and amazing day for the team,” Hamilton said
We worked really hard, and I’m pleased with the entire team’s efforts. It’s wonderful to finally be getting better because the past few weeks have been challenging for us. Today the car felt lot better, and the speed was high. We did a good job of controlling the tyres and maintaining the car’s balance today.
We worked really hard over the weekend to perfect the setup, and today’s outcome demonstrates the effort that each member of the team put forth to make that happen. I’m eager to travel to Brazil and hopefully maintain the fast speed of the vehicle.”