Russell blasts "lawnmower racing" at Mexico GP start

George Russell slammed the Mexico GP’s "lawnmower racing" after rivals cut corners and rejoined ahead, costing him positions. Betting impact: with stewarding showing leniency, punters might favour aggressive drivers and podium props for Leclerc/Verstappen or Norris, and avoid small-margin Russell podium bets at circuits with large run-offs where off-track re-entries often go unpunished.

Russell slams “lawnmower racing” after chaotic Mexico Grand Prix opening lap

H2:Lap-one controversy reshapes Mexico GP order Five drivers approached the opening braking zone four-wide, triggering a sequence of off-track excursions that reshuffled the field. Polesitter Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen came into Turn 1 side-by-side; Leclerc and Verstappen cut Turn 2 and rejoined ahead, emerging in first and third respectively. Mercedes’ George Russell, having taken a cautious inside line and running fifth, found rivals rejoin in front of him and lost crucial track position.

H3:Driver reaction — “You just have a get-out-of-jail-free card” Russell did not hold back. “I don't understand how three drivers can cut the first corner and just continue in the position they entered,” he said. “It's like, allowing you to risk everything, but you just have a get-out-of-jail-free card if you get it wrong.” He added that the trend of drivers cutting large run-offs and escaping punishment has repeated itself at this venue, calling for changes to prevent drivers gaining advantage by leaving the track.

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H2:On-track tussles and penalties alter the podium fight On lap 6, Max Verstappen attacked Hamilton into Turn 1, briefly forcing Hamilton off the racing line. Verstappen then cut later in the sequence and rejoined in front, while Hamilton locked up later and ran across grass without using the designated run-off, picking up a 10-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage. Russell said the chain of events cost him three positions and believes Verstappen’s off-track re-entry should also have been penalised.

H3:Finish order and fallout The opening-corner protagonists ultimately filled the podium: Norris, Leclerc and Verstappen. Hamilton’s penalty dropped him to eighth at the flag, while Russell ended up a lowly seventh behind teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Russell summed up his frustration bluntly: “If I’d come out of the first corner P3, we’d have finished P3. That’s the story of the season.”

H2:Stewarding inconsistency — implications for teams and bettors The perceived leniency toward off-track re-entries at Mexico City has broader consequences. Teams face unpredictable outcomes when drivers are allowed to rejoin without sanction, penalising those who follow the track limits. For punters, this inconsistency nudges betting markets: favour drivers who race aggressively at circuits with large run-offs, consider podium and finishing-position props for front-runners who frequently force rivals off track, and be cautious backing drivers like Russell for tight-margin podium bets at this venue.

George Russell has blasted “lawnmower racing” following opening-lap incidents that may have cost him track position in Formula 1’s Mexico Grand Prix.Polesitter Lando Norris tackled the first braking zone four-wide alongside Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, from inside to outside; while the former two stayed on the track, Leclerc and Verstappen ended up cutting Turn 2 ...Keep reading

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