George Russell Exposes the Mercedes ‘Steering Issue’ That Cost Him Las Vegas GP win

George Russell recalled the issues with the steering column that caused him to lose the Las Vegas GP race win against Max Verstappen.

George Russell Exposes the Mercedes ‘Steering Issue’ That Cost Him Las Vegas GP win

George Russell (via F1)

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George Russell was one of the better drivers at the Las Vegas GP, as he achieved a podium finish after managing a great race throughout the session. Russell initially finished in P3, but was moved to P2 after Lando Norris was disqualified from the race. Now, the Briton recalled his race and revealed the reasons behind his failed shot at the victory against Max Verstappen.

Notably, Max Verstappen put forth one of the greatest performances of his career at the Las Vegas GP and achieved a stellar race win. George Russell started the race from P4 and ran in front of the pack throughout the race.

Though he couldn’t trump Verstappen to bring home the race win. However, Russell now revealed that there were issues with his steering wheel that ultimately cost him his run against the race winner.

Recalling the events of the Las Vegas GP, George Russell claimed that he had a steering problem since lap five of the race. He pointed out that he suffered from similar issues in the Qualifying session and couldn’t fight for the pole position. Still, Russell managed to get used to the problems and drive around them as his pace looked quite good since the first stint.

I had the steering problem again from about lap five, the same as I did in qualifying, I managed to drive around this and I got used to the challenges of this problem, and the pace looked quite good in stint one.

George Russell said via motorsport.com.

George Russell recalled that at the start of his second stint, he hoped to attack Max Verstappen as he came out of the pits. Moreover, Russell told his team that he wasn’t confident about ending the race on the same tires.

The Briton pointed out that every lap was painful to him as he kept getting slower and was unable to attack Verstappen at the forefront. Ultimately, he pinpointed that the entire Las Vegas GP was simply not an enjoyable race for him.

Then, at the start of my second stint when Max Verstappen came out of the pits, I was like ‘right, I’m going to attack now’ to see if I could take the lead, and I grained my tyres, the front-right tyre. But every lap was so painful. I was going slower, and slower, and slower, and I was like ‘this is not fun.’ P3 was the maximum today, but other than lap 1, it just wasn’t an enjoyable race.

George Russell added.

George Russell claims he will not ‘get many highlights’ in the 2025 season

The 2025 season is nearing completion with just two more races to go. The 2024 season was rather different for the team as the challenger was different than this time around. George Russell pointed out the differences in the car from last year and this year. The Briton highlighted that Mercedes’ W16 was more consistent than its predecessors.

George Russell (via XPBimages)
George Russell (via XPBimages)

George Russell pointed out that this time around, the W16 was better throughout the season and the 24 races this year. He reflected that the W15 was very inconsistent and was either very dominant or completely terrible. As such, Russell accepted that the car this year might not have flashy performances and many highlights, but the team was scoring many more points this year.

We’ve got a car that is better across 24 races, whereas last year, we had a car that was either exceptionally dominant or terrible. So we have a better car for a 24-race season. Unfortunately, we may not get as many highlights, but we get more points in a season.

George Russell noted.

Mercedes’ consistency has helped them achieve the runner-up spot in the constructors’ championship. The team has gained a great lead in the standings and will likely finish in P2. For now, Brackley just has to focus on ending the 2025 season on the best possible note.

Read More: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen Advantage Gets Exposed After 2025 Las Vegas GP triumph