George Russell unexpectedly struggled with a steering issue during the qualifying session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the driver revealed after the session. Although the Brit does not yet know the exact cause of the power steering problem, he believes it cost him a shot at pole position. “Of course, it feels like a missed opportunity,” admits Russell, who is nonetheless relieved with his fourth-place start.
George Russell entered the Grand Prix weekend in Las Vegas with high confidence. The Brit expected a ‘strong’ Mercedes on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, while predicting a ‘heavier than usual’ weekend for McLaren. After qualifying, the roles seem reversed: while Lando Norris secured the sixteenth pole position of his career, Russell could not get further than a spot on the second starting row. A steering issue ultimately robbed the Mercedes driver of a chance at pole.
“I had a steering issue in Q3,” Russell explains to the media present in Las Vegas. “I don’t know what it was. It felt like a power steering problem. It was obviously very disappointing. I was the fastest in FP3, the fastest in Q1, the fastest in Q2, but during my second fast lap, I thought I had to stop the car on the track because I couldn’t turn the steering wheel properly. I consider myself lucky to have qualified fourth despite everything. But of course, it feels like a missed opportunity.”
Terrible Conditions
Beyond his steering issues, Russell describes the rest of the rain-soaked qualifying session as ‘pretty terrible’. “It wasn’t fun at all, but it was a challenge. You don’t want it to be the same every week.” However, the Mercedes driver doesn’t entirely agree with some of his colleagues that these were the toughest conditions to drive in. “I think that probably comes from the drivers who didn’t race in Turkey in 2020.” Back then, the drivers also raced on a slippery, rain-soaked track with almost no grip during the Grand Prix. Russell finished sixteenth at that time.
