George Russell conveyed his relief at reviving his Formula 1 World Championship hopes with second place in the British Grand Prix, amid another DNF for teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Mercedes driver finished second at Silverstone, splitting the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but was set to finish behind his Italian counterpart once again.
Antonelli was running second and was bearing down on Leclerc, his W17 carrying fresher tyres, but a loose wheel shield saw the 19-year-old’s challenge fade, and lost his meagre one point after a post-race time penalty for exceeding track limits.
The result puts Russell just 25 points off his teammate, with the momentum seeming to shift towards the Britain, who also won last time out in Austria.
After the race, Russell explained how he felt at securing second, after a race which saw him battle “all-time” greats Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who eventually spun out at Stowe.
“I don’t really know how to sum it up, to be honest, because it’s been a very challenging weekend,” Russell told media, including Motorsport Week.
“Things within my control haven’t been good enough; things outside of my control haven’t been good enough, which has all resulted in poor pace.”
“Then in the race, I was having a great battle with Max and Lewis, going against two of the greatest of all-time, and I felt I could have passed Max,” Russell said.
“And with the straight-line speed over the Ferraris, I felt I could have held off Lewis as well. So P3 was probably fair and would have been a good result behind Charles [Leclerc] and Kimi.
“Then the puncture, I just couldn’t believe my luck. I’ve gone beyond sort of anger and frustration now. If you told me I’m going to end up P2, I wouldn’t have even comprehended how that was possible. So, I’m very grateful to have stood up on the podium.”
Russell will be hoping to make another indent into Antonelli’s advantage in two weeks’ time at Spa-Francorchamps, where the Mercedes car can truly flex its superior grunt.
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