Russell reflected on social media on the 'disappointing' developments and took responsibility for pushing the upgraded car beyond its limit.
By ADRIAN BISHOP, SPORTS REPORTER
Published: 13:45 EDT, 20 October 2024 | Updated: 14:02 EDT, 20 October 2024
George Russell will start the United States Grand Prix from the pitlane after Mercedes were forced to make changes to his car following a crash in qualifying.
During Q3 on Saturday Russell was involved in a severe crash at Turn 19, forcing Mercedes to undergo significant repair work and revert to a previous specification of the W15.
Lewis Hamilton, who managed a lowly 19th in qualifying, had offered to to switch the required elements with his team-mate.
However, Mercedes subsequently confirmed that Russell has been forced to start from the pitlane with Pierre Gasly promoted to sixth on the grid in Austin.
Following the news Russell reflected on social media on the 'disappointing' development and took responsibility for pushing the upgraded car beyond its limit.
George Russell will start the United States Grand Prix from the pitlane after crashing in Q3
Mercedes were forced to revert to an earlier specification after not having enough spare parts to replicate the upgrades package
The 26-year-old insisted he 'paid the price' for 'pushing beyond the limit' during qualifying
It read: 'Yesterday was a very disappointing day. The team has worked so hard bringing upgrades to the car, which showed great potential on Friday.
'Yesterday, we didn’t seem to have that pace and I was pushing beyond the limit, ultimately paying the price with the crash.'
Lando Norris will start in pole position at the Circuit of the Americas after continuing his momentum following an impressive showing at the Singapore Grand Prix last month.
The Briton will be joined on the front row by Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull star currently owning a 54-point lead in the drivers' standings.
However, the three-time world champion is without a race win since June, having last triumphed at Spanish Grand Prix.