18/09/2023
NEWS STORY
George Russell is left disconsolate following last lap mistake that cost him an almost certain podium, possibly a win.
As the field began the final lap it was clear that Mercedes hopes of a shock victory might not be realised.
In their bold pursuit of race leader Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris the Silver Arrows had taken the best out of the medium tyres and were finally beginning to slide about… nonetheless, there was always that chance of a mistake up ahead.
Even so, George Russell was certain of the final place on the podium... then came the moment that he went straight on at Turn 10 into the barrier opposite, having hit the wall at the entry to the corner.
As teammate Lewis Hamilton headed to the podium for the post-race celebrations, Russell was inconsolable, and though hiding his pain behind dark glasses it was clear during post-race interviews that he had been crying.
"With Carlos managing the pace for the whole duration, it's quite difficult to keep a concentration because we were driving one and a half seconds off the pace," the Briton said of the early stages of the race.
"But it was only natural for him to do that with let's say the tyre advantage we had," he added, referring to the fact that Mercedes had saved a fresh set of mediums on Saturday, "and if he went any faster it would have only given us the opportunity."
"We obviously got fortunate with the Virtual Safety Car," he admitted, "and that was when the race really turned on its head and got really exciting.
"I was really pushing flat-out," he continued. "But again, Carlos did a great job was to manage the gap with the DRS with Lando. It was very smart of him to do that.
"I had half a chance with Lando, half a car's length different I think would have won the race because I‘d have got ahead of Lando and then Carlos would have been stuck with no DRS and I would have flew by him.
"Instead, I ended the race in the wall and no idea what happened, how that happened; probably a lack of concentration, maybe frustration knowing that that was the last lap, the opportunity was gone.
"A one-centimetre mistake has sort of clouded the whole weekend," he sighed.
"In the moment, you just want to curl up in a ball and be with nobody," he replied, when asked how he felt emotionally. "It's the most horrendous feeling in the world. When you're so physically drained, mentally drained, you missed out on an opportunity of victory, and then to make such a mistake. It's truly heart-breaking."
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