Mercedes driver George Russell was on course for a podium finish at the Singapore Grand Prix, but his hopes were dramatically dashed by a crash on the final lap.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted George Russell is “completely depressed” after missing out on the chance to stand on the podium in Singapore.
British driver Russell qualified second and third – while also chasing Lando Norris in second – heading into the final lap. Hope turned into a disaster at Turn 10, when he hit a wall and saw his race end in seconds.
Russell is chasing his second glory of the season, after taking third in Spain in June. However, this was not to be as his compatriot and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton moved up to third place after the mishap. Mercedes remained second in the constructors’ championship, although Ferrari closed the gap as Carlos Sainz won his first race of the season and Charles Leclerc finished fourth. However, after the race the focus was on Russell and Wolff was brutally honest in his assessment of the situation.
“He was completely depressed,” Wolff told Sky Germany (via GPFans). “The race ended suddenly for him but when we spoke I told him he fought and tried until the end.
“Towards the end, it was all about third place, not victory and we just had to leave this position on the track,” he added. The Austrian driver also spoke about the Mercedes drivers not catching Sainz, pointing out that Russell started stronger than Hamilton and said “you can’t swap both”. Wolff added: “We didn’t see Carlos’ speed, but he handled it very well. “It’s the highest level. I don’t think we can get past him and if we try we will collide.
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