Mercedes: George Russell "hung out to dry" after Mexico GP c...

Mercedes team representative Bradley Lord has reflected on George Russell’s “frustrating” Mexico Grand Prix, claiming the British driver was “hung out to dry on lap six”.

The start of the race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has come under scrutiny after multiple drivers left the track and either kept or gained positions without receiving penalties. After keeping it within the white lines at the chaotic start, the British driver claimed he had to take avoiding action on lap six when Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were in an intense battle, which caused him to lose more positions.

“The opening laps did not go our way; George was one of the only drivers in the top five to stay between the white lines, and lost out as a result, then was hung out to dry on lap six and lost two more positions,” Lord explained in the Mercedes debrief.

“He felt rightly aggrieved at the outcome, as this ultimately shaped the outcome of his race. Kimi profited where George lost out and was managing his tyres to a planned one-stop strategy behind Bearman when George and Piastri closed to within DRS range.

"After several laps, we decided to invert the cars to give George an opportunity to attack the Haas, as he felt he had pace in hand, but he was unable to make inroads because the tyres were past their best after the laps in the dirty air.”