The knockout in Canada
The Montreal weekend ended bitterly for George Russell, who had started from pole position with the Sprint race win. In that very race, the Englishman managed to prevail in a duel that created some tension with teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, now leading by 43 points. A gap that widened not only due to the young Bolognese’s victory in Canada but also because of the #63 Mercedes’ retirement during a phase of the race when he was in first place.
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Wolff’s words
So, while Antonelli is already being pointed to as the favorite to win the world title, the first to still believe in Russell’s comeback is Mercedes team principal: Toto Wolff. The Austrian manager is convinced that his driver can soon take revenge after the four consecutive wins of the young Italian rival: “Things haven’t gone his way in the last races – he explained – he could definitely have scored many points during the main race. He was leading, but if I had to name one person in this paddock in terms of resilience and determination, it would be George.“
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Already in previous races, in Shanghai and Suzuka, Russell encountered problems respectively with the gearbox and an incorrect setup, then stopped in Montreal due to a battery failure. A retirement that made him furious, as shown by the throwing of the headrest on the track (a gesture that cost him a 5000 euro fine): “He has already had to overcome obstacles in the past, from karting to junior formulas. He will not give up – Wolff added – there are still 17 races to go, if I’m not mistaken, so there are still many points at stake. It’s just about waking up the next day, processing what happened, forgetting it, moving on and looking to the future, driving to the best of his abilities, and that’s exactly what he will do.”
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