In the wake of his crash on the final lap of the Singapore Grand Prix, George Russell is gearing up for redemption at the Japanese Grand Prix, with the full backing of his Mercedes team.
The British racer’s unfortunate mistake left him visibly devastated, but Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin, assures that Russell knows he has the unwavering support of the entire team as he regroups for the upcoming race.
Reflecting on Russell’s emotional reaction immediately after the Singapore race, Shovlin remarked, “George was very upset with his mistake.
“That was clear to see when he came into the garage.
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“He couldn’t have got to the garage any quicker.
“He spent probably the best part of an hour apologising to everyone.”
Mistakes, however, are an inevitable part of pushing the limits in Formula 1, as Shovlin pointed out, saying, “The problem is when you’re pushing the limits, mistakes can happen. No doubt he won’t do that one again.”
Despite the disappointment, Russell understands that he has the full support of his team.
He took some time to reflect on his performance and recharge before shifting his focus back to the track.
As Shovlin emphasised, “He had a day or two to go off and have a bit of quiet time. He’s come back, and it’s business as usual.”
In the Singapore Grand Prix, he was chasing his second career victory on fresher tires than race leader Carlos Sainz and second-placed Lando Norris.
Unfortunately, his race ended abruptly when he clipped the wall in the entry to turn 10, sending him into the barriers lining the outside of the corner.
This misfortune allowed his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, to inherit the final podium position.
Expressing his emotions following the race, Russell acknowledged, “It’s not the first time I have had a difficult situation like that.
“Through anyone’s career, you have ups and you have downs, and [I’m] very thankful for having some difficult situations to bounce back from in the past because it helps me deal with these situations better.”
Russell’s resilience and the support of his team have played a pivotal role in his ability to overcome setbacks.
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He shared his perspective on the crash, stating, “Probably 24 to 36 hours it takes to get over it, and you’ve always got to take positives from a moment like that.”
He went on to reveal the encouraging words he received from Shovlin: “So I take the positives, I am really pleased with the overall performance, I am not going to let a mistake of two centimetres cloud my whole weekend.
“I would prefer to have a weekend like that rather than being off the pace.”