How George Russell’s crashes have hurt Lewis Hamilton’s chances of final race win at Mercedes

George Russell has crashed his Mercedes in successive Grand Prix weekends. While he still picked up healthy points, he’s inadvertently hurt his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Russell spun into the wall at the end of Q3 at the United States Grand Prix earlier this month.

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That led to a pit-lane start following extensive repairs, but he impressively recovered to sixth. In Mexico, he lost the rear of his W15 through the high-speed middle sector during practice, spearing into the TECPRO barriers. Russell was walking gingerly after the impact and had to visit the medical centre, but he was ultimately fine.

Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesAfter a prolonged battle with Hamilton where he was hampered by a broken front wing, he brought home 10 points in fifth place. It’s unclear whether that part can be fixed or will need to be entirely replaced. Russell lost his front wing during practice for the Singapore GP in September, and also crashed out in dramatic fashion at the end of the Australian GP in the spring.

In that instance, Fernando Alonso, the car he was attacking, was penalised for driving in a potentially dangerous manner. While Hamilton has had a disappointing season, he’s still managed to avoid damage for the most part. The last serious accident he suffered was at the Qatar GP in 2023, when he took his teammate out of the race at the start.

George Russell’s crashes wipe out Mercedes upgrade budget for Lewis HamiltonMercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli also handed the team a substantial repair bill when he slammed into the wall at Parabolica on his FP1 debut in Italy. Cumulatively, the incidents have taken their toll. The Silver Arrows are now in danger of exceeding F1’s budget cap.

That has forced them to abandon any remaining upgrade plans for the rest of the season, according to Turkish F1 journalist Kemal Sengul. Mercedes üst üste yaşanan kazaların ardından -bütçe nedeniyle- bu yıl daha fazla güncelleme getirmeyi planlamıyor. Brezilya’da iki araçta da güncellenmiş paket olacak.

Kalan üç yarışı da ufak değişikliklerle geçirip sezonu tamamlayacaklar. — Kemal Şengül (@KemalSengulll) October 29, 2024View TweetBoth cars will have the recent Austin upgrade available in Brazil this weekend. But aside from that, there will be only ‘minor changes’ until Abu Dhabi.

Mercedes haven’t won since the Belgian GP, when Hamilton inherited victory after Russell was disqualified for breaching the weight limit. Without further updates, the seven-time world champion’s chances of taking one final win with the team before he joins Ferrari appear slim. David Coulthard warns Kimi Antonelli ahead of George Russell partnershipRussell still has a reputation for crashing too often, and Toto Wolff may privately think it’s justified after what he’s seen this year.

The 26-year-old is blisteringly fast – he’s beaten Hamilton in 15 out of 20 qualifying sessions this year – but needs to become more reliable. This will be especially important next year when he partners teenager Antonelli. Russell will become the senior presence in the team alongside a raw talent who’s expected to make mistakes.

Coulthard doesn’t expect Antonelli to challenge Russell in his rookie year. But if he can do it in his second season, then he’ll show the potential to become one of the greats. It’s worth noting that Russell is out of contract in 12 months’ time, so he’ll be under pressure.

With Max Verstappen potentially on the market, Wolff may have to make a brutal decision next year.

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