Russell puzzled as Las Vegas GP curve ball prompts 'close' admission

The British driver, who showed signs of improving his pace before the red flag cut short the second practice session, admitted Mercedes remain competitive but warned the fight would be close.

"We are in the mix. We have to be realistic," Russell said via Sky Sports.

"We are still there or thereabouts, but it was close. Lando [Norris] was quick, [Max] Verstappen and [Charles] Leclerc were quick in FP1, Kimi [Antonelli] was quick, so it will be close," he concluded.

The five-time Grand Prix winner, speaking further about a possible result the team could achieve, continued:

"I don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We weren't exactly setting the timesheets on fire. We are there or thereabouts, but definitely not a slam dunk," he said.

Russell clocked the ninth-fastest time during the first practice session around the Las Vegas strip. The British driver improved his lap time to seventh place during FP2.

Any hopes of an even better result by the 2024 winner of the Las Vegas race during the second practice were dashed by the abrupt red flag, which heralded the final stretch of FP2 at the Nevada event.

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