Russell highlights moment that cost him in Austin as he goes from Singapore GP victory to distant P6 finish

George Russell was left to rue fine margins in Qualifying and a tricky opening lap at the United States Grand Prix after crossing the line back in sixth position – more than half a minute behind winner Max Verstappen.

Russell, who triumphed at the previous round in Singapore, started the Austin weekend with a strong P2 finish in the Sprint, having benefitted from the Turn 1 drama that eliminated McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

However, that proved to be the highlight for the Mercedes driver, who qualified fourth for the Grand Prix – missing out on P2 by a matter of hundredths – and then got overtaken by both Piastri and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari at the start.

Reflecting on his afternoon at the wheel, Russell sighed and said: “At the moment, it’s like a race to Turn 1. Qualifying is so important, there’s no tyre degradation at the moment, so overtaking is very challenging.

“I made a good start, but Max covered Lando... I expected Lando to go to the outside to cover Charles [Leclerc], so I stayed on the inside, but Lando didn’t move across – he got overtaken and I got blocked in as well and got overtaken by Oscar and Lewis.

“If I came out of Turn 1 in P4, I think I’d have finished in P4. If I’d come out in P3, I think I’d have finished in P3. It’s just how it is at the moment.”

Asked about the developing fight for second in the Teams’ Championship, after strong weekends for rivals Red Bull and Ferrari, Russell added: “The result is a bad one for us today, but as I said, I was 20 milliseconds off the front row on Saturday.

“Had I been that 20 milliseconds faster, I probably could have been on the front row, and if I could have held P2, I’m very confident I’d have finished second or third today.

“But all of us, we can only go as quick as the driver in front, and I think we all were expecting Lando to fly by Charles who was on the soft tyre, the slower tyre, and he struggled a lot. When there’s no tyre degradation, it’s challenging.”

It was an even more challenging afternoon for rookie team mate Kimi Antonelli, who got tipped into a spin by Williams’ Carlos Sainz – who subsequently received a five-place grid penalty for Mexico – and could only recover to 13th.

“It’s a shame, it’s a pity,” Antonelli said of that moment. “I don’t think he was going to make the corner anyway, and I tried to avoid hitting the apex, just to give him a bit more space, but I ended up getting taken out. It’s a shame, but we move forward.”

As touched on above, Mercedes are now just seven points clear of Ferrari in the battle for P2 in the championship, with the resurgent Red Bull three points further back.