George Russell was left frustrated by another “missed opportunity” as a penalty led to an eighth-placed finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Russell collided with eventual race winner Max Verstappen on the 25th lap in Las Vegas, incurring a five-second time penalty that saw him finish eighth after initially crossing the line in fourth.
Russell admitted he was at fault for the incident, telling Sky Sports: “[It is] just another massively missed opportunity this weekend.
“The collision with Max was totally my fault. I didn’t see him. He was in my blind spot going into Turn 11 and I wasn’t really expecting the overtake there because you’ve got the DRS straight afterwards.
“[I] was on course for an easy podium then and it was straightforward, so recovered to P4 but the five seconds obviously knocks us down to P8.
“This season is sort of one thing after another. The pace was strong but not as strong as the Red Bulls and the Ferraris.”
Another night that feels like a case of what might have been for us…
We had strong pace and if not for two collisions and a puncture we’d have been fighting for the podium.
One more round to go. Four points in it. Bring on Abu Dhabi. 💪 pic.twitter.com/7WMqvNtmbJ
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 19, 2023
It is the latest in a string of disappointing results for Mercedes’ Russell, who sits eighth in the drivers’ championship standings having finished fourth last season.
Russell’s last podium finish came at the Spanish Grand Prix back in June, and he says he wanted to finish in the top three to end a below-par season on a high note.
“At the end of the day, we still recovered to P4,” Russell added. “Even without the penalty, we’re very disappointed because we should have been on that podium.
“It would have been a nice way to semi-end up this season after such a disastrous one, but I guess this just tops it off.”
