Mercedes driver George Russell faced a tough race at his home circuit at the F1 British Grand Prix, dealing with difficult weather conditions and a water leak that ultimately led to his second DNF of the season. Despite the setbacks, Russell remains optimistic about his future prospects and the performance of his team.
George Russell started the British Grand Prix strong, navigating the first 17 laps with confidence before the rain began to complicate the race. Reflecting on this initial phase, Russell acknowledged the difficulties of leading the pack as rain started to fall.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s always difficult when you’re the first out there. I knew it’s gonna be a long race and sort of wanted to be patient. You know, we’re still in the fight, but 10 laps before the failure, I knew I had problems. I was losing power. And then the water failure happened.”
The sudden change in weather brought additional challenges, especially as McLaren proved to be particularly fast, passing both Mercedes cars to take over in 1st and 2nd.
However, Russell remained composed, understanding the race’s length and the need for a strategic approach. He was sitting in P4 behind Max Verstappen before his W15 gave up.
”McLaren was super fast during that period, but it was difficult. But I wasn’t too flustered because I knew the race was going to be long.
“I’m really surprised there’s been no safety cars, but I knew we had the pace in the car. So as I said, I wasn’t too worried. It was a long race, but as soon as I went back out, I was losing power. So I knew from that point on, the race was gone.”
Reflecting on the team’s recent performances, including his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix the previous week and his team mate Lewis Hamilton’s win at the British Grand Prix, Russell expressed confidence in Mercedes’ ability to compete for more wins now.
“It’s incredible. Lewis is on course to win. We had the car in normal drive circumstances to beat 1-2. We’re clearly back and I think we’ll be fighting for race wins more often now.”
Despite the disappointment of retiring from his home race, the British driver remains positive about his position within the team and the car’s performance.
“Yes, within myself and the car, I’m feeling good. But obviously, this is a real blow, retiring from any race, let alone your home Grand Prix. I only had the car to win, but we’ll have another go.”
