P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes won’t be able to run its upgrade on both cars at the Mexico City Grand Prix due to repairs needed after George Russell’s qualifying crash at COTA. Russell crashed heavily at the penultimat…
Mercedes cannot implement its upgrade on both cars at the Mexico City Grand Prix due to repairs required following George Russell’s qualifying crash at COTA. Russell’s crash necessitated significant car damage, forcing Mercedes to switch specification and work through parc ferme hours to ready it for the race, resulting in a pit lane start for Russell. Team principal Toto Wolff indicated the scarcity of spare parts from the package introduced last weekend prevents both drivers from running the upgrade in Mexico. Despite encountering handling challenges in the USGP, Mercedes will persist with the new parts as they believe the performance issues stem from aero and mechanical interactions rather than fundamental flaws in the upgrade. As Lewis Hamilton spun off at the same corner as Russell in the USGP, questions remain regarding the car’s performance fluctuations from being quickest on Friday to struggling on Saturday, urging Mercedes to delve deeper into the car’s behavior and inconsistencies. Moreover, Mercedes announced that its 2025 driver Kimi Antonelli will participate in FP1 in Mexico City, joining Ferrari’s Ollie Bearman and McLaren’s Pato O’Ward as rookies in the session.
