George Russell details how Safety Car and battery issues derailed Suzuka win chance
Mercedes driver George Russell
George Russell rued a Japanese Grand Prix where he felt that everything which could go wrong, did go wrong for him.
Believing that victory was on the cards had the Safety Car appeared one lap earlier than it did, Russell also pointed to battery issues which he said cost him positions to the Ferrari pair of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
George Russell explains Suzuka race frustrations and missed win chance
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Ferrari had been the fast-starting thorn in the side of Mercedes, but at Suzuka, it was McLaren, as Oscar Piastri swooped by into the lead of the race.
Russell dropped from second to fourth, and Antonelli, from pole to sixth.
Russell would recover to reach the back of Piastri’s McLaren, but executing an overtake and making it stick was proving difficult.
Leclerc and Piastri had already pitted at the time Russell boxed on Lap 22. At that point, the Safety Car appeared to cover Oliver Bearman’s heavy crash at Spoon.
With that, Antonelli was able to pit and come back out in the lead. Russell was down to third, behind Piastri.
“One lap difference, and it probably would have been a race win,” said Russell after the race, in reference to the Safety Car timing.
“That’s frustrating.”
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Sadly for Russell, his Japanese Grand Prix grew more frustrating still.
Russell lost out to Hamilton at the restart, and was later passed by Leclerc. Russell’s Mercedes appeared to suffer a sudden drop of power into Turn 1, Leclerc taking full advantage to make the overtake.
Russell would re-pass Hamilton and challenged Leclerc, now the lead Ferrari, but it was Leclerc who held on to the final podium spot.
“I mean, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” said Russell of his race.
“Obviously, we both made bad starts. Mine was slightly less bad. Safety Car timing. Restart, I got a harvest limit, which meant I couldn’t recharge my battery, similar to what’s happened to some drivers at their race starts.
“I had no battery to restart. Lewis passed me, and then faced another battery problem when Charles passed me.
“So as I said, one lap different, and we’d be having probably a very different conversation.”
Antonelli raced on to victory, making it back-to-back wins. With that, he displaced Russell at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
Antonelli will enter the Miami Grand Prix nine points ahead of Russell.
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