Russell experiences a significant crash, McLaren is impacted by Norris's penalty incident
The decision to reconsider Norris' penalty in the US Grand Prix was turned down by the stewards. The penalty imposed on the championship contender, Lando Norris, was upheld, keeping him three points behind the leader Max Verstappen. Despite McLaren's attempts to challenge the five-second penalty handed out following his encounter with Verstappen in Austin, the stewards maintained their stance on Friday night in Mexico City, having conducted a video hearing earlier that day.
Norris' chances to drop Verstappen in points were dampened after the battle in Austin. He was relegated to fourth position, further widening the gap between him and the three-time champion. If norris had finished third and Verstappen fourth, he would have closed the gap by three points. Currently, with the Mexican Grand Prix just around the corner (21:00 CET/Sky), Norris trails Verstappen by 57 points and they have five more Grands Prix ahead.
McLaren's appeal was dismissed due to lack of convincing evidence, according to the stewards. The incident involved Norris overtaking Verstappen on the outside in a corner, violating the track limits. After rejoining, he was deemed to have gained an advantage, resulting in a time penalty.
Setbacks for Verstappen and Russell
Meanwhile, Verstappen had a challenging practice session in Mexico. The defending champion wasn't able to complete a timed lap during the second free practice, labeling it as a day to forget. The issue arose in the first session, leaving Verstappen in fourth position. His Red Bull underbody required replacement, consequently cutting out valuable data collection for qualifying and the upcoming race.
Verstappen's struggles also gave Norris a boost. The Briton ended the second session in fifth position, allowing a young driver to take the wheel in the first session soon after. The fastest time went to Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, followed by Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri (second McLaren). Yuki Tsunoda finished fourth in the second Red Bull, while Nico Hülkenberg rounded up the top twelve.
However, the Mexican Grand Prix was far from perfect for George Russell. The 26-year-old Briton set a blazing pace in the first session, becoming the fastest. Yet, he lost control in the second practice, crashing heavily into the tire barriers, leading to a red flag period. Fortunately, Russell walked away uninjured.
Despite McLaren's appeal, the stewards upheld the five-second penalty on The Mercedes AMG driven by Lando Norris, keeping his points gap with Max Verstappen unchanged. Unfortunately for George Russell, his impressive performance in the first practice session was marred by a heavy crash in the second session, resulting in a red flag period.
