Hamilton and Russell promise to perform at COTA after difficult Saturday

Qualifying did not turn out the way Mercedes hoped at the Circuit of the Americas. Lewis Hamilton got eliminated already in Q1, and George Russell crashed in Q3, that led to him starting from the pit lane. Both drivers took to social media to say they will try to make the best out of the situation in Austin on Sunday.

It was announced ahead of the Grand Prix that George Russell will have to start from the pit lane at the US Grand Prix. That is because Mercedes needed to work more than two hours to repair the Briton's car. Russell lost his car in Sector 3, causing a double yellow flag that meant no one could complete their second laps in the session.

"Yesterday was a very disappointing day. The team has worked so hard bringing upgrades to the car, which showed great potential on Friday. Yesterday, we didn’t seem to have that pace and I was pushing beyond the limit, ultimately paying the price with the crash," Russell wrote on X.

He added: "Today’s a new day and the team have done an amazing job fixing the car overnight. Unfortunately, we will have to start from the pitlane, but I’ll be giving it absolutely everything to do their hard work justice."

On his Instagram account, the seven-time world champion also posted about the upcoming Grand Prix. "Thank you all for the support, much needed after a day like yesterday. But today is a new day. Today we fight and give it everything. We move."

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