P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes technical director James Allison has revealed the cause of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s torrid time at the United States Grand Prix, with both suffering uncharacteristic off-track moments.
Mercedes technical director James Allison has identified the root cause of the team’s challenging weekend at the United States Grand Prix, attributing it to the set-up and running the car too close to the ground. Despite the team introducing its final upgrade of the season at the Circuit of the Americas, the weekend was described as “bumpy”. Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton faced significant incidents, with Russell crashing in qualifying and Hamilton spinning off during the race. The team had confidence in the upgrade package’s performance, as the downforce was present, but due to the car being set up too low and too stiff, handling degraded significantly. Allison remains optimistic that the latest upgrade will show its potential in the remaining two grand prix of the Americas triple-header and dismisses suggestions linking the off-track excursions in Austin to the upgrade. He believes that with more time to dial in the set-up, the team will see the promise of their upgrades in upcoming races.
