Mercedes out of performance window at Mexico GP – George Russell

George Russell reported that Mercedes is operating outside its ideal performance window during Friday practice at the Mexico Grand Prix. Despite finishing third in FP2, just a tenth of a second behind Ferrari pacesetter Charles Leclerc, Russell stated the team has balance limitations with the newly updated car package. Russell explained that both he and teammate Kimi Antonelli are currently struggling to keep the car inside its narrow set-up window at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Mercedes introduced an updated package in Malaysia, after which Russell recorded a DNF, P9, and P8 across three rounds. Russell identified through-corner balance as the primary issue needing work overnight, while noting that Ferrari holds an advantage in high-altitude conditions. Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord described Friday as solid but acknowledged challenges managing power unit cooling, brake cooling, and turbo boost management without an MGU-H.