George Russell’s Friday fortunes took a dramatic downturn in Mexico City after a high-speed crash during FP2, triggered by the unforgiving kerbs at Turn 8. The Mercedes driver’s session came to an abrupt halt when his car bounced violently off the kerbs and spun out at Turn 9, slamming into the barriers and prompting a lengthy red flag period. Although Russell walked away unscathed and was cleared at the medical center, the incident left him with a “frustrating” afternoon and added pressure on his team for overnight repairs.
“What happened is just the car started bouncing off the ground, and before I even had a chance to catch it, I was already spinning,” Russell explained to Sky Sports F1. Running an older spec Mercedes W15 in Mexico, Russell’s crash marks his second setback in as many weekends after spinning out during qualifying in Austin. The incident has left his mechanics facing yet another sleepless night as they work to get the car back on track for Saturday’s crucial FP3 session.
Russell’s disappointment was palpable, especially after a strong FP1 performance where he topped the timesheets. “It just seems like it’s one thing after another at the moment,” he lamented, noting that he’d attempted to take the same line through Turn 8 as in FP1, only for the car to snap out of control in FP2.
Despite the frustration, Russell found some consolation in the fact that FP2 was primarily a Pirelli tyre test for the 2025 season, meaning fewer insights could be gained for Sunday’s race. “FP2 wasn’t hugely valuable in terms of what you’d learn going into the race weekend,” he added. “But I missed out on laps, so FP3 is going to be important. I just hope we can get the car fixed.”
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a smoother day, finishing seventh in FP2 after skipping FP1 to allow rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli his track debut. Hamilton ran without major issues, providing some stability for Mercedes amid a chaotic start to the Mexico GP weekend. As Russell prepares for a pivotal FP3, the pressure is on for Mercedes to rally and get his car ready in time.
