George Russell finally claimed his first podium of the season on Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix, with the Briton having done excellently to finish third despite having started P12.
Russell endured a nightmare qualifying session on Saturday and was clearly keen to make up for his disappointing starting position, something which was clear based on his launch off the line alone.
The 25-year-old made an excellent start and made several places on the run down to Turn 1, where he went three-wide with Nico Hulkenberg and Oscar Piastri.
Russell though, was forced to run across Turn 2 due to their not being enough room for all three drivers, something he was investigated for.
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It wasn’t the first time that the former Williams driver found himself under investigation at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as he was also investigated after qualifying following his scary collision in Q2 with Lewis Hamilton.
The stewards ultimately took no action against Russell for cutting across Turn 2 though, with him having given back the necessary positions.
Russell ultimately had an exceptional race and fought through the field, to beat the likes of Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez.
Russell did come under some pressure from Perez in the closing stages of the race; however, the Mexican was unable to catch the Mercedes driver.
The result leaves Russell fifth in the Drivers’ Championship on 65 points, 22 points behind Hamilton ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in a fortnight.
Given that he threw away a podium at the Monaco Grand Prix following his error at Mirabeau, Russell’s performance on Sunday was the perfect way to bounce back.
Mercedes were thanked by Russell for giving him a “really great car” for the seventh race of the season, with the Briton hoping that it’s a “sign of things to come”.
READ: Spanish GP: Lewis Hamilton’s revised position after penalty applied
“Kudos to the team for giving me a really great car today,” Russell said after the race.
“That was a fun race for us starting in P12 and coming all the way to P3. Hopefully a sign of things to come for us.
“We know we brought some more downforce to the car and are in a better window, so just happy to be on the podium.”