Russell hit with grid penalty after gearbox failure in F1 practice

Russell was running with his race gearbox in second practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after Williams fitted it between F1 practice sessions in the lunch break.

The issue meant Russell wasn’t able to set a representative lap time in FP2 after he returned to the pits with just two out-laps to his name.

Speaking before he was aware of the penalty after practice, Russell said: “There’s not a huge amount to say to be honest, I had a gearbox failure so the guys are still looking into how it happened and if we can recover that gearbox and where we go from here really.

“It’s not ideal but it’s only Friday and points are rewarded on Sunday.”

The Mercedes-bound driver ended first F1 practice 17th overall, 2.1s off the pace set by Valtteri Bottas.

Despite struggling for one-lap pace, Russell was satisfied with Williams' race performance as he looks to get back into the points on Sunday.

“FP1 was a surprisingly good for us, I had a good rhythm and showed some good race pace and I think that’s what it’s all going to be about,” Russell added. 

“This high altitude makes it really difficult for the cooling, the brakes and the engine. I think if we can be on top of that, we can be on the front foot for the race.”

Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda will also serve grid penalties after taking fresh power units for this weekend.

The duo will start from the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.