Looks like Mercedes driver George Russell is struggling to live up to expectations throughout the current season. Last year he made his debut for Mercedes. Moreover, in his first year itself, Russell beat the star of the team, Lewis Hamilton. In fact, the 25-year-old Briton won the only race for the team last season in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Apparently, Mercedes has been struggling with their car since the introduction of the cost cap era. But this season, midway, the Brackley team has made some necessary changes.
More or less, the upgrades to their W14 car are showing positive changes. At first, they implemented modifications in Monaco. Later in Spain, they earned their first double podium this season. George Russell got his first podium this year. But in the recent Canadian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver had a horrible outing as he got disqualified. On the other hand, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton got another podium finish at P3. And when asked about the reason for the shocking disqualification, George Russell blamed his blind faith in the team for his failure in Montreal.
What Went Wrong For George Russell In Canadian GP?
The 25-year-old Briton had a decent start in the final round of the Canadian Grand Prix. He was neither progressing nor losing a position until he hit the wall at Turn 9. It did not look good as his car collided with the wall. Moreover, it needed immediate attention as the collision badly damaged the tyres. Hence, it became necessary to make a pitstop. Moreover, the unscheduled pitstop is where George Russell got new tyres and a front wing. Later, he rejoined the race at P19. Since then, he tried his best to rise up in the standings, but he could not overtake Alex Albon at P7. However, after some treacherous efforts to overtake, Russell’s team made him retire.
Mercedes team mentioned that Russell had to retire due to failed brakes. However, George Russell denied the claim saying the brakes felt alright to him. As the young Briton had to retire, the Brackley team lost vital points for the constructor’s championship. Moreover, Aston Martin won five more points. Hence, in the post-race interview, Russell mentioned, “I did not feel anything bad about the brakes. But the team has got the data and knows how the car is progressing.” After winning five extra points, Aston Martin is now only 14 points behind Mercedes. They will look to catch Mercedes in the next Grand Prix in Austria. However, George Russell is unwilling to highlight his failure in the Canadian GP. Instead, he looks at the bright side.
What Are The Positives Mercedes Can Take Away From Canadian GP?
According to George Russell, the W14 car showed real pace in Canada. They thought the race would not be suitable for their upgrades and the B-spec version of W14. But the Mercedes W14 was in pretty good shape. They were far ahead of Ferrari and pretty close to Aston Martin. Moreover, they are still in second place behind Red Bull. Hence, the Silver Arrows have a good chance to secure the runners up position this year.