George Russell explains scary incident

George Russell has struggled relative to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton so far in 2023.

George Russell has opened up on his terrifying moment on the exit of Turn 6, whilst being hounded by Lewis Hamilton at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday.

Having qualified so well on Saturday, Sunday couldn’t have gone any worse for Russell.

Russell started third at Zandvoort, before falling to fourth on the opening lap after being overtaken by Fernando Alonso.

A catastrophic Mercedes blunder then cost the King’s Lynn-born driver moments later, as the Silver Arrows decided not to immediately pit Russell or Hamilton when heavy rain suddenly fell at the end of the first lap.

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Most drivers pitted at the end of the first or the second lap, whereas Mercedes waited several.

As a result, Russell and Hamilton tumbled down the order when the Brackley-based team did eventually pit both drivers for Intermediates, ending any hope of a podium.

Russell went on to make good ground on a set of Hard tyres, which he ran deep into the race.

He was quickly caught by Hamilton who was on fresh Softs, which put Russell under some pressure.

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Russell then had a huge moment on the exit of Turn 7, as he touched the damp white line which resulted in a dramatic snap.

Somehow, Russell saved his W14 and kept it out of the wall, a moment he admits was caused by looking in his mirror as he was “struggling to see”.

Russell revealed after the race that he “made contact” with Yuki Tsunoda a few laps before the scare, which caused his car to vibrate intensely.

He went on to finish 17th after having to pit again late on following a puncture, caused by contact with Lando Norris.

However, had it not been for the earlier scare, Russell believes he would’ve finished ahead of Hamilton, Norris and Pierre Gasly, who claimed third place.

“I made contact with Tsunoda about five laps before and I had massive vibrations,” Russell told media including RacingNews365.com.

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“In the high speed [corners] I was struggling to see, looked a little bit my mirror, next thing I was off the track but kept it out of the wall.”

Russell added: “It lasted for about five laps, and I lost three or four seconds of race time.

“That was a shame because probably could have stayed ahead of Lewis, Lando [Norris] and [Pierre] Gasly who pitted later.”