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Mercedes stars in trouble at Brazilian Grand Prix as George Russell spins in pit lane

Early drama in Sao Paulo

Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Mercedes, Sao Paulo, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO
Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes star George Russell suffered an absolutely disastrous pit stop in the early stages of Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, while teammate Kimi Antonelli also spun from the lead in Sao Paulo.

With damp conditions at Interlagos, all of the F1 stars had started the race on intermediate tyres, but on lap 15, Lewis Hamilton pulled the trigger on going on to softs, with the decision immediately paying off.

Seeing Hamilton's speed, many drivers followed suit, including Russell, who was third at the time.

However, on leaving the pit lane, Russell failed to account for the damp conditions that remained on that part of the track, spinning his Mercedes car around on the pit exit, forcing him to watch several of his rivals pass him as he was facing the wrong way.

Unfortunately for Mercedes, their cars going for a spin did not end there, with Kimi Antonelli also spinning, this time into turn one, allowing Lando Norris to get ahead of him on lap 20 and take the lead of the race.

Antonelli avoided damage and only initially lost one position, but Isack Hadjar soon took second from him, too, demoting him to third spot at this stage.

The Italian has since been on the radio complaining that his car isn't driving as it should be: "The car is pulling on one side when accelerating, it's so weird."

As of lap 30, Antonelli sits P4, with Max Verstappen having also passed him.

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