George Russell's US GP nightmare has just become even harder to explain as new data emerges

George Russell’s awful performance at the United States Grand Prix, in which the Mercedes driver finished eighth, looks even worse next to uncovered data from team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s car.

As many expected, Antonelli waltzed away with the race, and narrowly missed out on becoming Formula 1’s youngest-ever champion in the States.

Elsewhere, his Mercedes team-mate Russell, who received a five-second penalty at the Circuit of the Americas early on, endured a torrid day - and it looks even worse next to new Mercedes data.

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Kimi Antonelli data stains George Russell’s performance even darker after the US Grand Prix

After finishing eighth, Russell confessed that “the pace was just rubbish today,” as his team-mate drove like an athlete ready and raring to become the youngest-ever Formula 1 champion.

Now, in new data recovered from Antonelli’s car at the Circuit of the Americas, the quality of Mercedes’ vehicle portrays the Brit in an even more unfavourable light.

According to this data, Antonelli’s tyre degradation in Austin was virtually non-existent, prompting fans to describe Mercedes’ car upgrades as “unlocked.”

The data reflects what Mercedes had said previously about their upgrades: that improvements in medium-high speed performance would become noticeable, as they did in Antonelli’s victory.

As a result of these changes, the racing team gained aero efficiency that propelled Antonelli to glory at the Circuit of the Americas, and will likely win him the Formula 1 crown in November.

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George Russell fails to take advantage of high-quality Mercedes upgrade

As Formula 1 fans have noticed, even with virtually identical cars, Russell has rarely pulled ahead of his Mercedes team-mate this season, and it’s why Antonelli has reaped greater rewards than the Brit.

As others have pointed out, Antonelli’s data doesn’t reveal the entire story in Austin, with the Italian having been over 10 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen for most of the race.

As a result, the Mercedes driver raced without needing to push hard, and in clean air, while maintaining a championship-worthy consistency as the tyres gently degraded.

When he pulled ahead, driving in the States became an exercise in race pace and tyre management from Antonelli, which he has excelled at as a soon-to-be Formula 1 champion in 2026.

With Russell, whose performance now looks even worse under the microscope of his Silver Arrows team-mate’s dominant outing, his showing in Austin is slightly harder to judge.

While the Brit was stuck behind Oscar Piastri for the race’s bulk at the Circuit of the Americas, he was also given the same time to adjust to Mercedes’ upgrades, and fell wildly short of the performance delivered by Antonelli.

Whether Russell will be able to prove he is a championship-level driver in 2027, and adjust accordingly to whatever car Mercedes provides him with, remains unknown.

"As long as we win the constructors' championship, that's the main thing," said Russell, after his outing in the States. “Obviously, I'd like to finish best of the rest, but P2, P3, P5 is not [the] champion. So it doesn't mean anything."

Elsewhere, team principal Toto Wolff supported his driver, claiming: “George has all the ability. I think the car doesn't suit him.

"I think that, at the beginning of the season, it's difficult to cope with a situation where you're feeling like 'This is my year to come,' and then you have this wonderkid on the other side that starts to really chip away.

"And I believe that in a new season, George, if we provide him a quick car, has absolutely what it needs to win a championship."

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