Russell flags Ferrari's smaller turbo as key threat at high-altitude Mexican GP

George Russell has singled out Ferrari’s smaller turbocharger as a likely performance edge heading into the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with the Mercedes driver also acknowledging his team is still struggling to unlock its latest upgrade package.

Speaking at the drivers’ press conference in Mexico City, Russell pointed to turbo lag as a defining factor at a circuit that sits more than 2,200 metres above sea level. The thin air at altitude reduces downforce and cooling efficiency while forcing turbochargers to work considerably harder to supply the engine with sufficient charge.

“It’s going to be very interesting,” Russell said. “I think turbo lag is going to be a big factor for a lot of teams this weekend. There’s obviously no secret, the likes of Ferrari have a smaller turbo than most, so they probably have quite an advantage in this regard. We’re not sure as yet how challenging it will be, but can definitely foresee it being not straightforward.”

The 28-year-old arrives in Mexico off the back of a difficult United States Grand Prix in Austin, where he finished eighth after struggling with the new upgrade package Mercedes introduced. His team-mate Kimi Antonelli, by contrast, won in Austin — his ninth victory of the season — and now leads the drivers’ championship by 123 points over Russell, with the title potentially on the line this weekend.

Russell was candid about the inconsistency the upgrade has produced across different circuits. “It’s been a little bit strange for us since we brought this package to the car,” he said. “Obviously, we first brought it in Malaysia, and it was a pretty tough weekend for the two of us. And then Kimi had it on in Singapore. Again, not a straightforward weekend. I had it back on in Austin and struggled a lot on my side. And he obviously had a very strong race. We are seeing some things in the characteristics that just show that it performed in a very narrow window. So we need to try and widen that.”

With Antonelli in position to clinch the championship in Mexico City, Russell faces the challenge of both closing the gap on a dominant team-mate and navigating a circuit where Ferrari’s engineering choices may hand the Scuderia a structural advantage before a wheel is even turned in anger.