George Russell’s race in Mexico City took an unexpected turn after a damaged front wing drastically reduced his car’s performance, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff revealed. The damage, sustained during a maneuver to overtake Oscar Piastri, cost Russell around “20 points of downforce,” a significant loss that ultimately allowed teammate Lewis Hamilton to overtake him and secure fourth place.
Russell had been holding strong in his older-spec Mercedes W15, even outpacing Hamilton’s upgraded car for the first half of the race. But a bump and turbulent air upon exiting the pits led to one of Russell’s main front flaps collapsing, a failure that seriously affected his car’s aerodynamic balance. “It was a tremendous loss of downforce,” Wolff said. “He then kind of drove around it very well, but obviously, the more your tires are being hit, the impact on lap time is exponential.”
Russell confirmed the severity of the issue, noting the wing damage cost him “three or four tenths” per lap, making it difficult to fend off Hamilton. Despite his efforts, the car’s compromised balance prevented Russell from maintaining his initial pace.
This latest setback highlights Mercedes’ ongoing struggle to integrate recent upgrades. After bringing the revamped package to the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes has faced several challenges, with Russell crashing in Austin’s qualifying and Hamilton retiring during the race. Adding to the complexity, Russell’s older-spec car crashed out of practice in Mexico City as well.
Looking ahead to the Brazilian Grand Prix, Wolff hopes to gather more insights into the handling disparities between the two car specs. “There may be something in the update package that causes something that we don’t understand,” Wolff admitted, alluding to possible issues with high-speed stability. With two races left, Mercedes aims to resolve these issues and strike the right balance to close out the season on a high note.
