The sprint race in Austin delivered spectacle from start to finish. While Max Verstappen capitalized on his pole position and took the victory, George Russell fought his way from P6 to second place. A result he himself called ‘beyond expectation’.
Russell started in sixth place and took advantage of the chaos in the opening bend, where both McLaren drivers collided and dropped out. “I was on the outside and went for it, but then I saw that they were all doing the same on the inside,” the Brit reflected. “I’ve only seen it from my cockpit, but I saw three cars hit each other and that usually doesn’t end well.”
Later in the race, Russell made an attempt to dislodge Verstappen from the lead, but his attack failed. “I saw a half chance and just went for it, but I was probably still a bit too far behind him. Still, P2 is better than we expected, so I’ve scored quite a few points.”
