Mercedes driver George Russell was left unhappy after a number of drivers left the track at the Mexico Grand Prix – and went unpunished

F1 Grand Prix of Mexico
George Russell was left fuming at the Mexico Grand Prix (Image: Getty Images)

George Russell was left fuming following the Mexico Grand Prix after several rival drivers cut the opening chicane without any punishment. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen both drove over the grass on the opening lap but conceded their positions later in the race.

The Mercedes driver felt the lack of punishment was incorrect, although the move is not uncommon over recent years. Turns one to three provide little room for drivers to overtake, while race stewards opted not to punish the two aforementioned drivers.

Russell, though, highlighted Verstappen leaving the circuit several laps later – and felt the Red Bull driver should have been punished. “I think I just struggle to understand how three guys can just cut the corner and maintain their position,” Russell told PlanetF1.com.

“They got it wrong. They braked too late. They made a mistake, but then they can just cut the corner and continue, and there was no punishment for for their mistakes – so I was pretty p***** off with that to start with.

“Then where Max came off, went off the track [at] Turn 4, came back on, wrong place wrong time for me. But. again, that should have been penalised as well.

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Max Verstappen races off the track at the Mexico Grand Prix (Image: Getty Images)

“We didn’t have the pace, but I think if I came around the first corner in P3, we would have finished P3. That’s the story of the season.

“It was Leclerc, I think I’m watching now, just made no attempt to stay on the track. Verstappen obviously just full risk and got it wrong, but continued in his place, and the guys who did the right thing were the ones who came off worse.”

Lewis Hamilton was the only driver to be punished for leaving the track and was given a 10-second time penalty for “leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage” in a battle with Verstappen.

n an interview with Sky Sports, Russell added: “I think it’s ultimately down to the circuit. There is this get-out-of jail free card. If there was gravel, no-one would be there.

“We’ve seen it almost every year we’ve been here. I think it was Carlos [Sainz] last year, Charles [Leclerc] the year before, Lewis [Hamilton] 10 years ago. It’s like lawnmower racing.

“I don’t know, something needs to change there. As I said, if you can just send it down the outside, you can either make it stick, or you just cut the grass and you return in the position you were in before. That’s not really how it should be.”