George Russell has criticised the five-second penalty he received during the United States Grand Prix, describing the FIA's decision as "ridiculous". However, the Mercedes driver admitted that the penalty was the least of his concerns after a difficult afternoon in Austin, where he struggled for pace throughout much of the race.

Russell was penalised following an incident involving Oscar Piastri at Turn 12, where the Briton ran wide while attempting to overtake Isack Hadjar before making contact with the McLaren driver as he rejoined the track.

FIA stewards determined that Russell left the track and gained a lasting advantage, warranting a time penalty. However, they reduced the usual ten-second sanction to five seconds, taking into account that the incident occurred on the opening lap and that Russell's attempt to overtake Hadjar had created an opportunity for Piastri to attack.

The penalty further complicated an already frustrating race for Russell, who struggled to match the pace of teammate Kimi Antonelli. While the Italian went on to claim victory, Russell found himself unable to make significant progress through the field.

Photo: Race Pictures

Russell frustrated by FIA penalty and Mercedes struggles

Speaking to media after the race, Russell explained that his pace briefly improved after switching to the hard tyres, only for his progress to be halted when he caught Piastri.

"The pace wasn't good on the first stint, but when I came out of the pits on the hard, I probably did six laps where I was back on the same pace as Kimi. But then I caught Oscar, and I just couldn't overtake.

"So, six good laps, 50 bad laps. I wanna understand why the pace was so bad on the first stint. The penalty was a bit ridiculous as well, but that was the least of my worries after such a bad weekend."

Russell also acknowledged that Mercedes still has work to do to understand the narrow operating window of its latest upgrade package, particularly given the contrasting performances of its two drivers in Austin.