What George Russell did at the Mexico City Grand Prix that was ‘particularly problematic’ for Mercedes

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The 2024 Formula 1 campaign has been one of the most difficult for Mercedes to understand in recent years.

Although the change in regulations in 2022 has hurt Mercedes compared to where they were during the previous era of F1, their first two cars during this period were simply not good enough.

Team principal Toto Wolff was embarrassed by Mercedes during pre-season testing in 2023 before the car went on to finish 2nd in the Constructors’ Championship.

This year, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been left confused by the F1 W15 because at times it’s been impossible to drive, but at other moments it’s been the class of the field.

Hamilton’s emotional win at Silverstone was a combination of expert driving, perfect strategy and a fundamentally fast car.

Russell and Hamilton briefly secured a one-two finish in Belgium, only for Russell to be disqualified as his car was underweight.

However, in recent races, Mercedes have struggled and they’ve not helped themselves by making mistakes on the track.

Journalist Edd Straw was speaking on The Race’s YouTube channel and highlighted one moment in particular from Russell during the Mexico City Grand Prix that has caused Mercedes headaches.

George Russell’s Mexico City Grand Prix FP2 crash ‘particularly problematic’ for Mercedes

Mercedes have had to deal with plenty of crashes in recent races from Russell, Hamilton and test driver Kimi Antonelli.

During FP2 in Mexico City, Russell had a big crash going through the second sector, losing the back end and causing copious amounts of damage.

Reflecting on the impact that shunt has had on Mercedes, Straw said: “Given the erratic form of the car, it’s possible that one or more of Las Vegas, Qatar or Abu Dhabi could offer a shot of being in the mix.

“As we’ve seen in fits and starts this season, Hamilton can still produce the magic that has taken him to seven World Championships.

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“But even if Hamilton can get better in sync with the car when it’s working well, Mercedes is in a difficult situation in terms of parts.

“That means both drivers could be working with either tired or repaired bodywork and possibly with even mix-and-match specifications.

“Crashes for Kimi Antonelli in FP1 at Monza and then George Russell in qualifying in Austin and during FP2 in Mexico have led to what Wolff calls a tremendous cost cap hit.

“George Russell’s FP2 shunt in Mexico was particularly problematic as it resulted in a chassis change and the introduction of a brand new monocoque.

“Although that chassis obviously already existed and money had been spent on it, Mercedes could have avoided including it in its cost cap accounting for 2024 had it not been used, creating a saving of hundreds of thousands of dollars that could have been allocated elsewhere.”

Mercedes forced into changes by the cost cap after Russell, Hamilton and Antonelli crashes

Russell managed to take part in qualifying in Mexico City despite the damage caused to his car and the changes that were required and started the race ahead of Hamilton.

The pair ended up switching places in the race but found themselves stuck in a battle between themselves as no other team is currently on their level.

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Mercedes have concerns about the cost cap and won’t be implementing too many changes to their cars between now and the end of the season.

Their focus will instead be on how to perfect their car for 2025 before turning their attention to the next set of regulations the following year when they will be hoping they can return to the front of the grid.