American Grand Prix: Mercedes debacle in Texas: A weekend to forget – News – Mercedes fans

Things are not going well at the Mercedes Formula 1 team right now. At the 2024 Formula 1 race in Austin, Mercedes had a weekend to remember. Coming with high expectations, the team gave the W15 a significant update ahead of the race to boost its performance and compete against dominant rivals. But events on the track made it clear that the weekend was going to be smooth sailing for Mercedes. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell struggled with various setbacks that severely hampered their ambitions.

Qualification: A disastrous start

The weekend started with a setback for Mercedes in qualifying. Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a disastrous qualifying by his standards and started 18th – his worst starting position in seven years. This placement put him under a lot of pressure before the actual race. George Russell, on the other hand, experienced difficulties when he crashed in the 19th turn of qualifying, which later became the fate of Mercedes. Because Parc Ferme violated the rules. He eventually had to start the race from the pit lane, making his chances of a top position even more difficult.

Key race: Hamilton's early retirement

After a difficult qualifying session, Mercedes were hoping for a strong comeback in the race. Hamilton really got off to a strong start and was able to gain several positions in the first few laps. But the seven-time world champion's race ended abruptly when he lost control of his car and retired in the same corner as his teammate Russell in qualifying. The incident happened on the fifth lap.

Hamilton's defeat was particularly bitter because the team had relied heavily on a new vehicle configuration. Technical director James Allison had announced before the race that Mercedes had prepared a “substantial” update for the car. However, despite this update, the car still faced difficulties, especially in parts of the track with little grip, which was dangerous for Hamilton.

Russell fights for every point

After Hamilton's retirement, the team's full confidence rested on George Russell. He had a tough task from the start as he had to start from the pit lane. However, Russell has struggled to get ahead in midfield, but he has not been immune to setbacks either. While overtaking Valtteri Bottas, he received a five-second penalty for an infringement, further weakening his position –

Despite a strong fight performance, it wasn't enough to earn Russell a spot on the podium in the end. Mercedes had a very disappointing weekend of the Formula 1 season.

More on the topic:

Good things need good examples! We were certainly the first in the media landscape to provide information on synthetic fuels and HVO100.

Things are not going well for the Silver Arrows this time around. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finish Italian Grand Prix 5th and 7th

At the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastre completed the top three. McLaren driver Lando Norris dominated the race.