Russell eighth after penalty as Mercedes probes pace deficit

George Russell finished eighth in the United States Grand Prix after a five-second penalty, as Mercedes struggled to explain his lack of pace compared with teammate Kimi Antonelli, who won in Austin. The FIA stewards penalized Russell for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on the opening lap. Their decision said he rejoined ahead of Oscar Piastri and retained his position. The usual sanction for the offence was 10 seconds, but the stewards reduced it to five because Russell had been pressuring Isack Hadjar and the incident occurred on the first lap. Russell served the penalty during his pit stop and then spent much of the race behind Piastri’s McLaren. He said he had no explanation for his slower pace, describing a first stint that was poor before several laps on hard tires at a pace similar to Antonelli’s. Russell said he was unable to pass Piastri after catching him. The result left Russell 123 points behind Antonelli, with 125 points available. Antonelli can secure the championship in Mexico City with a ninth-place finish. Russell said he wanted to understand the performance gap and would investigate it with his team. He also said Mercedes’ constructors’...