Following opening-lap skirmishes that seemingly impacted his standing in the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix, George Russell has heavily criticised what he termed “lawnmower racing”.
Lando Norris, starting from pole position, faced the initial braking area in a formation involving Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen, positioned from the inner to the outer side. While Hamilton and Norris maintained their track position, Leclerc and Verstappen bypassed Turn 2, subsequently rejoining in first and third places respectively.
Hamilton then overtook Verstappen for third place on the outside of Turn 5, but couldn’t reclaim a position ahead of Leclerc. Russell, who adopted a careful inside path into the first turn, witnessed his competitors veer off-track only to return ahead of him, which caused his discontent.
“I’m puzzled as to how three racers are able to bypass the initial corner and simply maintain their starting positions,” the Mercedes driver conveyed to Sky Sports F1. “It appears to condone risking everything with a consequence-free method if errors are made.”
When questioned about a possible discrepancy in officiating decisions, Russell responded: “Well, I believe it restricts me to the track’s confines. If there’s this exemption available… Were there gravel present, nobody would venture there.”
“Almost annually, we’ve observed occurrences here. I believe Carlos [Sainz] was involved last year, Charles the year prior, and Lewis a decade ago. It resembles lawnmower racing.”
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“There needs to be an adjustment there. Since, as I mentioned, if one can accelerate down the exterior, they can either sustain the manoeuvre or cut across the grass, returning to their original position. That’s not really how it should unfold.”
Russell elaborated further to the written press: “Leclerc exhibited no intent to remain on the track. Verstappen clearly adopted a high-risk approach and erred, yet he persisted in his placement. Those who acted correctly suffered the most.”
On the sixth lap, Verstappen challenged Hamilton on the inside at Turn 1, with the Ferrari driver lingering on the outside while being pushed off the track as they exited the corner. Positioned on the outside for Turn 2, Verstappen cut through Turn 3 and re-entered ahead.
Hamilton caught up to him en route to Turn 4, with Russell trailing closely, prepared to capitalise on any arising opportunity. Hamilton braked abruptly and traversed the grass without utilising the prescribed run-off area, incurring a 10-second penalty for gaining a sustained advantage.
“During the encounter between Max and Lewis, Lewis rightfully received the penalty; however, Max was off-track, rejoining at an inopportune moment for me, resulting in the loss of three positions,” Russell disclosed to Sky, having fallen behind Oliver Bearman and his Mercedes colleague, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, in that series of events.
“Naturally, I felt quite annoyed, but it all originated from the initial lap.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing runs wide
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
As the British competitor later informed the written media, he considers that Verstappen’s off-track excursion during his battle with Hamilton “should also have warranted a penalty.”
The principal actors of Turn 1, Norris, Leclerc, and Verstappen, ultimately formed the podium, while Hamilton’s penalty relegated him to eighth position by the race’s conclusion. Russell finished in a disappointing seventh, following Antonelli.
“If I’d emerged from the first corner in P3, we would have concluded in P3. That encapsulates the season,” Russell lamented.
Additional reporting by Stuart Codling
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