George Russell has confirmed that he is okay after his involvement in a high-speed crash in FP2 at the Mexican Grand Prix. The 26-year-old was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks following his big shunt in the early part of the session.
Russell got onto the kerb at Turn Nine and lost traction, spinning into the barriers on the right-hand side of the circuit. He looked to be in some discomfort as he climbed out of the car holding his ribs and was immediately whisked away by medics.
He went straight for a check-up, as is standard practice when a driver is involved in a heavy crash. Mercedes later announced that Russell was okay after returning to the garage following his trip to the medical centre.
They wrote on social media: “Positive news on George Russell. He has been released from the medical centre and is back with the team.”
It was Russell’s second big crash in as many weeks, following on from his accident in qualifying at the United States Grand Prix. His team worked hard overnight to get his car ready for the race, which he was forced to start from the pit lane.
Opening up on his latest incident in Mexico, Russell confirmed he was okay but said he was a bit sore and expressed his frustration after giving his mechanics another repair job.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m okay. I feel a bit winded after that one. The car just started bouncing on the ground and before I even had a chance to catch it, it was already spinning. A lot of work for the guys tonight again.
“It seems like it’s one thing after another at the moment. It’s frustrating as in FP1 we were really strong and really fast. I tried taking the same line and cutting that corner but, for whatever reason on this occasion, the thing just started going on me.
“Because it was the Pirelli tyre test, it wasn’t hugely valuable in terms of what you would learn going into the race weekend. So obviously we missed out on laps. FP3 is going to be important. I just hope we can get the car fixed.”
Carlos Sainz ended FP2 as the quickest driver on track, with Oscar Piastri nearly two-tenths behind the Spaniard in second place. Yuki Tsunoda came home in third ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen missed most of the session due to an engine problem.
