P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes’ George Russell felt a podium was on the cards during Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix, had he not been forced to start from pit-lane.
George Russell pushed to improve upon his sixth place in Saturday’s qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas but crashed hard into the barriers at Turn 19, forcing a switch to the previous spec W15 and a pit lane start. Despite the setback, Russell drove an accomplished race, executing a one-stop strategy to charge through to sixth after starting on the Hard tyre. The fluctuating performance of his upgraded Mercedes had him pondering what might have been on Sunday, with thoughts of a potential podium finish. In the Sprint race, the pace was strong but Russell slipped to fifth due to tire issues, showing glimpses of strong performance throughout the weekend. A minor bump in the road came with a five-second penalty for forcing Valtteri Bottas wide, leading to discussions about the consistency and application of rules in Formula 1. Russell questioned the decision and suggested having permanent stewards to ensure a fair and consistent approach to such incidents.
