Race prospects dimmed as 'massive' set-up change fails to help George Russell
After a failed attempt at altering his car's setup during Friday practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes driver George Russell admitted he was "handcuffed" and had no remedy available. He described how the team transformed their vehicle in an effort to improve performance but ended up making it worse rather than better compared with teammate Antonio Giovinazzi Antonelli who beat him by a significant margin despite his own efforts being compromised due to this error which has now left Russell concerned about race prospects for Saturday's event at Suzuka.
Key Points
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1George Russell lost pole position to his teammate Kimi Antonelli at the Japanese Grand Prix due to a failed set-up change.
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2Russell described handling issues and stated that Mercedes transformed their car 'for the worse' during qualifying adjustments in Japan after China GP struggles. Toto Wolff admitted this disadvantage would carry into Sunday's race, while Russell expressed concern for his prospects despite noting he could not remedy it further.
Developments
George Russell lost the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying duel to teammate Kimi Antonelli due largely to a Mercedes set-up error that made his car excessively oversteer in corners, forcing him into second place instead of first despite being ahead on track. Although he initially blamed high tire temperatures and later adjusted front-wing settings for marginal improvement, Wolff admitted they needed more downforce margin which ultimately backfired during the session's critical sectors.
George Russell reported severe handling issues and oversteering caused by an unidentified mechanical fault at the rear of his car during Japanese Grand Prix qualification. Consequently, he was unable to achieve pole position as championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli did despite a significant set-up adjustment made in Q2.
George Russell finished second at the Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying session, three-tenths behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli. He attributed his poor performance to a small rear suspension adjustment that caused severe understeer due to vibrations which he could not resolve during practice or qualifying.