Following five-second penalty, Mercedes ace George Russell admits it was his ‘fault’ for colliding with Red Bull star Max Verstappen at Las Vegas GP

In Formula One, individuals often hesitate to admit their mistakes during interviews. Instead of owing up to their errors, they often blame others, hindering their growth and improvement.

George Russell has become known for his reluctance to acknowledge his role in incidents, establishing a reputation as a resolute driver in this regard. However, the Mercedes driver took a different approach and fully recognized his mistakes during the race, as per the reports.

George Russell talks on crash with Max Verstappen

On lap 26 of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Verstappen was adamant about taking over Russell. The Red Bull driver had a grip advantage due to having fresh tires, unlike Mercedes.

As they approached Turn 12, Verstappen adjusted himself alongside Russell. However, the Mercedes driver abruptly steered across, colliding with the side of Verstappen’s car. The impact scattered carbon fiber debris everywhere, making the track messy. Fortunately, both drivers managed to escape with minimal damage.

Following the race, it was put under the Safety Car period to fix the debris on the track. Verstappen and Russell were both allowed to pit for fresh tires afterwards. However, Russell received a five-time penalty due to the collision.

In the end, the Dutch driver secured a victory against Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc. Russell, despite finishing the race in fourth place, was later demoted to eighth place due to the penalty. Earlier on, even Toto Wolff claimed Mercedes did not deserve a win as they struggled to keep up with Verstappen.

The Mercedes driver, fully acknowledging his mistakes, said “Yeah, it’s just another massively missed opportunity this weekend.”

“The incident with Max was my fault. I didn’t see him, he was totally in my blind spot going around Turn 11. I wasn’t expecting the overtake there because we’ve got the big long straight with the DRS afterwards.”

“We were on course for an easy podium then, it was pretty straightforward. So we recovered to P4.”

“But then the five-second penalty knocks us down to P8. Just this season is sort of one thing after another but then, ultimately, the pace wasn’t quite… it was strong, but not as strong as the Red Bull and the Ferraris.”

George Russell’s performance at Las Vegas GP

Having a strong format throughout the evening, George Russell maintained a competitive position in third place for the first half of the race.

 However, after the collision with the Dutchman, he was soon imposed a five-second time penalty by the stewards, which dragged him down from the fourth to the eighth position on the grid.

Do you think George Russell will be able to take Mercedes forward in the upcoming seasons like Hamilton did before? Tell us your opinions in the comment section below.