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George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have not been awarded any penalty after Mercedes was summoned by the stewards for failing to submit the setup sheets for both their cars prior to the Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying. This is because the German team did email the sheets in time but the FIA was unable to receive them due to an "IT security issue."
Russell managed to secure a second-row start for the Las Vegas GP after a hectic qualifying amid wet conditions on Friday as he finished fourth, almost a second behind polesitter Lando Norris. Kimi Antonelli, on the other hand, was knocked out in Q1 and will start the race from P17.
The results came under scrutinity after the session as the stewards summoned representatives from the Mercedes team for an alleged breach of Article 40.1 of the F1 Sporting Regulations. This was because the FIA Technical Delegate had noted that the team did not submit their setup sheets for either car as of 20:12 PST (track time) ahead of qualifying.
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The matter was referred to the stewards, who upon review have decided that no further action must be taken on the matter. This is because the Brackley-based team was able to prove that they did in fact share an email containing the relevant sheet with the FIA before the deadline.
The governing body did not receive the sheet electronically in the specified time due to what was apparently an "IT security issue," as stated in the stewards' report.
With the matter settled, George Russell will now aim for another strong result at the Las Vegas GP on Saturday after having won there in 2024. On the other side of the garage, Kimi Antonelli faces a tougher challenge as he looks to work his way through the field from P17.
George Russell addresses steering wheel issue after Las Vegas GP qualifying
George Russell revealed that he had a steering wheel issue in the final part of qualifying for the Las Vegas GP. The Briton finished fourth, but explained that he was struggling to turn around the corners after encountering these troubles with his Mercedes.
Speaking after the session on Friday, Russell expanded on his qualifying performance, and said: [via Formula1.com]
"Q3 didn't really come together for us. But I actually had some sort of steering issue in the last three laps. It was like I lost power steering."
"I don't think we would have been on pole (anyway) because I didn't have a great feeling with the car. But it quite an annoying feeling when it happened because I was really struggling to turn around the corners. I don't know what the issue was."
Russell also added that P4 is a strong place for him to be starting the race after a qualifying that "could have been much worse". The 27-year-old will have Carlos Sainz (P3) alongside him on the second row, with Lando Norris (P1) and Max Verstappen (P2) in front.
