– George Russell spoke of a bitter setback after his retirement at the Canadian Grand Prix, but at the same time highlighted the intense duel with his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli.
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The Mercedes driver led the race before a problem with the power unit forced him to retire on lap thirty. Antonelli then took the lead and celebrated his fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory. The 19-year-old extended his lead in the World Championship to 43 points.
Russell appeared disappointed after the race about the premature exit: “Speechless” is how he described his feelings about what happened during the race. “Everything suddenly went wrong,” Russell said. “We went into the corner, the engine stopped, no power, no braking effect. I’m a bit lost as to exactly what happened.”
Russell draws positive conclusions despite retirement
The Briton started from pole position and was leading until his retirement. Despite the disappointment, he also takes positive aspects from the race, especially from the duel with Antonelli.
“I am proud of my weekend. The pole position was there, I was leading the race when the problem occurred, and I had a good fight with Kimi. From my point of view, I couldn’t have done anything differently. That’s why I go home satisfied. Of course, I am very frustrated about what happened. But what else can I do?”
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Russell and Antonelli engaged in a close battle for the lead over much of the race. The Mercedes driver said the duel reminded him of his karting days.
Duel with Antonelli recalls karting days
“I really enjoyed the race. I love it when the battles are fair. It reminded me of my karting days. You know there won’t be any contact, but it’s close. Yes, I loved it. That’s exactly what racing is about. I continued the duel for another thirty laps.”
In the fight for the remaining podium places, Lewis Hamilton secured second place in the Ferrari ahead of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. For the two McLaren drivers, the race was disappointing. Neither car scored points. Thus, the defending champions had to endure another setback in the fight for the World Championship.
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