Mercedes boss Toto Wolff labelled a five-second penalty given to George Russell as a “total joke” in the early stages of the US Grand Prix. Russell, who started in the pit-lane, was making his way through the field when he went for an overtake on Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas.

Things have gone from bad to worse for Mercedes here at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. On Saturday Lewis Hamilton was surprisingly eliminated in Q1, as a front suspension issue on his W15 that occurred during the F1 Sprint Race earlier in the day created problems that one of the world’s legendary drivers simply could not overcome during the session.