Mercedes’ George Russell was left in “disbelief” following his dramatic retirement from the Canadian Grand Prix, stating he felt like “somebody doesn’t want me to fight for this championship.”
The Briton – who had started the race on pole – engaged in an epic battle for the lead with team mate and eventual winner Kimi Antonelli as the pair fought it out for lap after lap, with victory and precious World Championship points on the line.
However, that battle came to a sudden and unexpected halt on Lap 30 when Russell – by that point running in P1 – suffered a power unit failure that brought his Silver Arrow to a standstill. With Antonelli going on to win the race, the Briton was left dismayed at his luck and was visibly frustrated when exiting the car.
“Disbelief,” said Russell, when asked how it felt after the failure of his power unit. “It feels like somebody doesn’t want me to fight or compete for this championship.
“Three out of the last five races there’s just been something really going against us. [I’m] just a bit lost for words right now.”
Prior to Russell’s retirement, fans at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve were gripped by the thrilling tussle for the win between the Mercedes drivers, continuing a battle that was also seen in Saturday’s Sprint.
However, with Antonelli going on to take his fourth Grand Prix victory on the bounce it leaves Russell 43 points behind his championship rival ahead of the next round in Monaco.
Despite the bitter disappointment with the way his Canadian Grand Prix weekend ended, Russell did take heart from his performances, and the battle with his teenage team mate, as well as the way he responded to his “doubters”.
“Yeah, I loved the battle,” he said. “I was happy with how I handled it, how I drove and I’m just pleased with the weekend in terms of my own personal performance.
“There were a lot of doubters maybe after Miami and a lot of chat, but I know what I can do. Pole in the Sprint, win the Sprint, pole in Qualifying, leading the race.
“Hard battles, I really loved the battle and I wanted to continue for 30 more laps. I would have loved to see how it would have panned out but here we are.”
