George Russell had his first DNF of the season during his home race; the British Grand Prix! The Briton was desperate to drive his machinery on home turf despite the Lap 1 crash. Now, Mercedes trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin has indicated to the car being somewhat driveable after the events.
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The Mercedes driver’s crash with Zhou Guanyu was an unfortunate incident. It sent the Chinese driver flying upside down horrifically and even getting trapped between barriers. Fans are widely hailing this crash as one of the worst to have happened in F1 history. Amidst this, Russell’s W13 sadly was also immediately ruled out to participate after losing a tire and bodywork damage.
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Shovlin in Race Debrief explained, “Well, the first issue is he tried to get the car back, but he couldn’t and with it being on three wheels, it’s a long, long way to drive it around in that condition. And next question ‘Could we have fixed it?’ Well, we would have had a pretty good go, it would have needed a new floor,”
“There was damage to the bin deflector, there was a bit of bodywork damage. But had he got it back, we would certainly have done everything to get him back in the race.”
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Russell’s DNF ended his streak of a top 5 finish in every race this season. Further, it was a real disappointment for the British fans, given the 24-year-old is one of the few British drivers on the grid. Moreover, with W13’s improved performance, the Briton possibly had a chance at the podium.
The DNF disappointed George Russell
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Shovlin further admitted to Russell not being happy about his retirement. The Mercedes driver wanted a memorable race for the crowd despite the unexpected circumstances. About his reaction, Shovlin revealed, “Well, he is good but the first thing was just he was relieved to see that Zhou was okay after that accident. You saw he jumped out of the car…”
Formula One F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – June 12, 2022 Mercedes’ George Russell on the grid before the race REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/Pool
“When he got back to the pits, he was obviously frustrated that he couldn’t take part in the race. He was desperate to take part in the British Grand Prix, to try and put on a show for the crowd, and really, that was the biggest disappointment.”
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Russell, notably, has also been commended for his reaction to Zhou’s crash. The driver ran to the area and tried to help out Zhou, gaining the public’s affection in doing so. So what are your thoughts? Do you see a Russell podium incoming next?
