Mercedes finds itself in hot water after the Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying session, as the team has been summoned by the stewards for failing to submit the setup sheets for both cars in time. The FIA Technical Delegate noted that the sheets for Car 63 and Car 12 were missing as of 20:12 PST, just before the qualifying session on Friday.
Despite the challenging conditions during qualifying, Mercedes’ George Russell managed to secure a spot on the second row and qualified in P4 for the main race. On the other hand, his teammate Kimi Antonelli struggled and could only manage a 17th place finish after failing to advance from Q1.
Following the qualifying session, the Silver Arrows were called in front of the stewards due to the missing setup sheets. The FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer reported this issue and referred it to the stewards for further investigation.
The team representatives were summoned to appear in front of the stewards at 21:45 PST to address an alleged breach of Article 40.1 of the F1 Sporting Regulations. The potential sanctions for this breach are at the discretion of the stewards and could range from a reprimand or fine to a grid drop or even disqualification from the session.
If any penalties are imposed, it could significantly impact George Russell’s race prospects, as he currently sits on the second row. However, for Kimi Antonelli, who is already at the back of the grid, the impact would be less severe.
In a separate incident, George Russell reported a steering wheel issue with Car 63 after his final lap in qualifying. He mentioned feeling something broken on the front of the car, which affected his performance in Q3. Despite this setback, Russell managed to secure a P4 starting position for the race, alongside Carlos Sainz.
Both drivers are now under investigation, and any potential penalties could reshuffle the grid ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It remains to be seen how the stewards will address these issues and what impact they will have on the race outcome.
The original article was edited by Tushhita Barua.
