George Russell near tears as reaction after Singapore GP crash speaks volumes
George Russell showed his mental resilience by finding the positives even while still raw from his Singapore Grand Prix crash.
The Brit was on course for a podium finish with a late charge and was right on the gearbox of Lando Norris on the final lap. But, while pushing with everything he had, he made a mistake and crashed his Mercedes.
In doing so, he threw away 15 points and a podium finish, which were inherited by team-mate Lewis Hamilton. And, speaking immediately after the race, Russell was close to tears as he lamented his mistake.
"I think we were half a car's length from winning the race had I got past Lando when I had the opportunity," he said. "I think we'd have been able to get past Carlos [Sainz]. On the last lap, a millimetre's lapse in concentration and it's game over. I'm so sorry to the whole team.
"It was a really challenging race with the tyres dropping off, pushing the limits. It's how racing should be and you make a small mistake and you're bitten for it. It's heart-breaking after such a great weekend. The car felt great, qualifying, the race was great and we were bold with the strategy. I feel like I've let myself and the team down. It's tough. We'll be back."
Sebastian Vettel warns of looming F1 ban and is "very worried about the future"
He later added: "It was such a nothing of a mistake. If I spun off and had a lock-up, it would have been very different but I clipped the wall on the last lap. It is such a pathetic mistake and that is why it feels so strange right now. It is probably that lack of concentration... It was the last lap and I knew that opportunity was gone. It goes to show that you need to stay on it. It doesn't matter what the scenario is.
"In the moment, you just want to curl up in a ball and be with nobody. It is the most horrendous feeling in the world when you are so physically drained, mentally drained. We missed out on an opportunity for victory and then to make such a mistake, it is truly heart-breaking."
Other than that mistake, though, Russell has been in excellent form since returning from the summer break. He had admitted himself that he was not producing his best performances prior to shutdown and has made up for it in recent weeks with some stellar performances, particularly in qualifying.
And he showed his strength of character just a short time after the incident as he composed himself and managed to find the positives from the last few weeks despite the pain of that crash. The 25-year-old said: "I have to be honest now, and I'm standing here an hour later, it has been such an amazing weekend. I truly believe that I'm driving better than I have ever driven.
"I felt confident and comfortable and I'm not going to let a mistake of two centimetres knock me down. I will have a tough night and a tough morning but I will then just put it behind me and go again. "I can only apologise to the team because they deserved more but shit happens."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
