Russell has no high expectations for São Paulo and hopes problems will end

George Russell finished fifth and fourth in Friday’s two practice sessions at São Paulo, but said he had no high expectations for the Grand Prix weekend. He planned to keep working on what he could control and hoped problems beyond his control would sort themselves out. He also said he was looking forward to next year.

That caution followed a difficult Mexico City Grand Prix. A deployment issue on the run to Turn 1 limited Russell’s top speed and he fell from second on the grid to sixth. He also received a 10-second penalty for colliding with Isack Hadjar. Russell said starting second had offered a strong chance to challenge for the lead at Turn 1, making the race’s setback difficult to accept.

Between Mexico and Brazil, Russell said, he and his engineers reviewed every race so far this season. He said they found only six without an issue; in 14 others, the team had encountered problems it had thought were bad luck. The frequency, he said, meant they needed to question the problems more deeply, especially on Mercedes’ side.