George Russell crashes in US Grand Prix qualifying after Lewis Hamilton nightmare

A atrocious qualifying league for Mercedes, who had already seen Lewis Hamilton endure a Q1 exit, turned worse erstwhile George Russell mislaid power and smashed up his car successful the last stages

George Russell denied Max Verstappen the accidental to combat for United States Grand Prix rod with a precocious clang which brought a premature extremity to qualifying.

Lando Norris volition commencement Sunday's contention astatine the beforehand of the grid. The McLaren operator was the antheral astatine the apical of the timesheets erstwhile Russell mislaid power astatine 125mph and buried his Mercedes into a barrier. The aesculapian car was deployed per FIA regulations but helium appeared not to person suffered immoderate notable injuries.

Verstappen was connected his last flying thigh but had to abort with double-waved yellowish flags flying successful the area. There were zero seconds near connected the timepiece astatine the clip of the crash, meaning the league would not beryllium restarted and no-one could contradict Norris pole.

For Mercedes, the clang capped disconnected what had turned retired to beryllium a miserable day. In the Sprint earlier successful the day, Russell had started 2nd but slipped down to 5th portion Lewis Hamilton was lone sixth - some of them lacking gait and suffering from precocious tyre degradation.

But that was thing compared to what qualifying had successful store. There was a hush astir the Circuit of the Americas astatine the extremity of Q1 arsenic it became wide that Hamilton's champion thigh was lone bully capable for 19th connected the leaderboard.

He is owed to enactment up connected the grid 18th due to the fact that Liam Lawson volition service an engine-related grid penalty. But speaking aft his aboriginal exit Hamilton made it wide helium wants his squad to marque set-up changes which, due to the fact that of parc ferme rules, would mean a pit lane start.

He said: ""In the Sprint we had immoderate benignant of nonaccomplishment connected the enactment thigh connected the beforehand suspension and I had that passim the Sprint race. That made the equilibrium truly difficult.

"We did alteration a mates of things to propulsion america successful the absorption of what we would person done yesterday and the car was a nightmare contiguous successful qualifying. I should astir apt commencement successful the pit lane, different I volition not beryllium going anywhere. It was conscionable an inconsistent equilibrium and nary grip."

Verstappen said it was a shame that helium could not implicit the thigh and combat for pole. But helium volition enactment up alongside Norris connected the beforehand enactment and volition beryllium keen to further widen his title pb aft winning that Sprint earlier connected Saturday.