Mercedes’ George Russell is “lost for words” at crashing out of a podium finish on the final lap at 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
At the start, Russell dropped to fourth after he lost positions to Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton – after the latter cut the opening corners but returned the position to Russell on Lap 3.
Russell reclaimed second after he jumped Leclerc during a pit stop on Lap 21 under the Safety Car and quickly cleared Max Verstappen on the restart, but was unable to pass pole-sitter and race leader, Carlos Sainz despite getting within under one second of the Spaniard.
A Virtual Safety Car on Lap 44 however afforded Russell a chance to gamble on a second stop at the end of that lap, which saw him rejoin fourth but crucially catch and pass Leclerc for third by the end of Lap 53.
Reflecting upon that strategy gamble which allowd him a shot at victory, Russell describd that stop as “bold and aggressive” which made him feel like he was “half a car’s length away from winning the race today.”
Eventual winner – Sainz and Lando Norris however mounted resilient defences throughout the final five laps as Russell reeled them in, only for his ambitions for a first win of the season to come to an end on the final lap as he crashed at Turn 10 after clipping the wall upon entry.
Explaining what exactly happened on that final lap, Russell commented: “I made a mistake by one or two centimetres on that last lap, and I clipped the wall. It’s a mistake that has overshadowed my whole weekend.”
Russell consequently was “lost for words” but however confessed that he believes that he would of won if Norris had played the compatriotic role, as he quipped: “If I was able to pass Lando (Norris), I am sure I would have been able to overtake Carlos (Sainz). Unfortunately I missed that opportunity.”
The 25 year-old though felt that the weekend had been “fantastic” after recent struggles in Netherlands and Italy, as he continued: “The car felt great, and the team had done an incredible job. Nevertheless, there are positives to take away.”
Team Principal, Toto Wolff added that he was proud of Russell for delivering an “aggressive” two-stop strategy knowing that winning on an one-stopper was a “difficult” task, despite “one very small error” costing him a podium finish.
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