Mercedes use last ‘joker’ to break curfew on George Russell car
Mercedes driver George Russell pictured during practice
Though George Russell was able to walk away from his 35G crash during FP2 in Mexico City, his Mercedes W15 suffered ample damage.
Ahead of FP3, Mercedes confirmed that Russell’s car was indeed repaired and will hit the track for the final practice session ahead of the Mexico GP, but the team had to break curfew in order to repair the machine.
Mercedes break curfew for George Russell repairs
During second practice in Mexico, George Russell lost control of his W15 for the second time in seven days. He lost control at Turn 8 and buried his car into the TecPro barriers.
The hit looked hard, as Russell exited the car holding his ribs. The team later confirmed, though, that a trip to the medical center confirmed Russell hadn’t suffered any physical harm.
“Honestly, I don’t really know what happened,” he told F1TV after the incident. “The car just started bouncing along the ground, and before I even had a chance to catch it, it was already spinning.”
Soon after, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed that the team did indeed have the parts required to make the repairs — but that the 35G impact was likely going to result some significant work.
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An hour before FP3, Mercedes confirmed that the team had indeed been able to repair Russell’s W15 — but that they had had to break curfew in order to do so.
Formula 1 has been reducing the number of hours team members are allowed to work in the paddock. The goal is to prevent mechanics from working extremely long hours, and to level the playing field by preventing massive amounts of changes.
In 2024, Formula 1 determined that each team would have two ‘jokers’; effectively, this gives a team two opportunities to break curfew without being penalized for doing so.
The jokers are designed to allow teams to stay late to make necessary repairs after big crashes, such as Russell’s.
Mercedes confirmed to media that the team did indeed have to break curfew in order to repair the W15, but because it was only the second time the team has done so in 2024, they were able to use their final “joker” and avoid a penalty.
The team has had to replace Russell’s chassis, but it confirmed that both the power unit and the gearbox were unscathed.
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