Mercedes’ George Russell revealed bouncing off the kerbs at Turn 8 triggered his high-speed crash during FP2 at the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix.
Russell triggered a lengthy stoppage in Friday afternoon’s second practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, when he hit the barriers hard at Turn 9.
Replays showed the Mercedes driver riding the kerbs at Turn 8 which triggered his W15 to bounce and spin violently off course.
The Briton was taken the medical centre and subsequently given the all clear but couldn’t but rue a “frustrating” afternoon.
“What happened is just the car started bouncing off the ground and before I even had a chance to catch it, I was already spinning,” Russell explained to Sky Sports F1.
“So yeah, a lot of work for the guys tonight again.”
Russell was running with an older spec Mercedes in Mexico on Friday, having spun out of qualifying for the United States GP last weekend.
FP2 crash followed chart-topping FP1 session for Russell
His crash in Mexico has prompted a second sleepless night for his mechanics and saw Russell’s Friday fortune turn on its head.
Earlier in the day, the Mercedes driver looked to be settling into the weekend well, topping FP1.
“It just seems like it’s one thing after another at the moment,” he exclaimed.
“It’s frustrating as in FP1 we were really strong, really fast.
“I was trying to take the same line, cutting that corner and for whatever reason on this occasion in FP2 the thing just started going on me.”
Russell took some solace that FP2 was largely used for a Pirelli tyre test, so little competitive running with regards to the GP weekend was carried out.
Still, Russell lost vital track time, making Saturday’s FP3 session a vital one, should his Mercedes W15 be repaired in time.
“I mean FP2 because it was the Pirelli tyre test it wasn’t hugely valuable in terms of what you’d learn going into the race weekend,” he said.
“So, obviously I missed out on laps. FP3 is going to be important, I just hope we can get the car fixed.”
Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton fared far better in FP2, his first running on Friday after Andrea Kimi Antonelli contested FP1.
The seven-time world champion finished seventh with no major issues affecting his running.
READ MORE – Mercedes’ George Russell tops disrupted FP1 session in Mexico
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