George Russell receives medical attention after 180mph crash in second practice for the Mexican Grand Prix – as Max Verstappen encounters his own problems to boost Lando Norris’ slim title hopes
- George Russell crashed during the second practice for the Mexican Grand Prix
- Max Verstappen also had a difficult training prior to Sunday’s race
George Russell was taken to the medical center after a dramatic 300km/h crash in second practice for the Mexican Grand Prix, while Max Verstappen failed to set a time as the championship leader struggled with engine problems.
If Red Bull cannot solve the problem, Verstappen will have to use a replacement power source. To avoid being sent to the grid by a new engine, he will instead use an old one in a bid not to lose ground to his nearest championship challenger Lando Norris.
The McLaren man is 57 points behind Verstappen with five races to go, including Sunday’s at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Verstappen also had to deal with engine failures during the first training. They were thought to be underage, but they did not resurface until late in the afternoon.
The engine is taken out and examined to assess exactly what action is required.
George Russell had to be helped off the track on Friday after crashing at 300 km/h
His Mercedes had to be lifted off the track after he lost control of the vehicle in the second practice session
Championship leader Max Verstappen also struggled with engine problems in practice
[item name=module id=124549765 style=undefined /]
As for Russell, he lost control of his Mercedes after taking too much curb in the sweeping Turn 8, causing him to crash into the tire barrier at the next corner.
Russell, who got out of his badly damaged car clutching his ribs, was driven to the medical center for a check-up. He was released while the session was still in progress and returned to team hospitality in the paddock.
It was the second blow for the British driver in a week, after a shunt during qualifying in Austin last week. There he drove out of the pit lane and finished sixth.
This crash was a blowout as it bottomed out while going over the red and white berm, causing a 24-minute delay while marshals rebuilt the barrier as quickly as possible.
A Mercedes spokesman confirmed: ‘He is physically fine but it had a significant impact.’
Russell’s team will now rebuild his car, which had its suspension hanging and sidepod destroyed, ahead of third practice and qualifying on Saturday.
Carlos Sainz set the fastest time for Ferrari, while Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri was second fastest. Norris finished in fifth place, but the session was seriously disrupted by testing of next season’s tyres.