George Russell was battling Lando Norris for second place when he lost control and crashed in the final lap of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Mercedes driver George Russell was trailing Norris through Turn 10 running on brand-new medium tyres as opposed to the McLaren driver in front who was on worn-out hard tyres. However, Russell made contact with the wall and went sliding into the run-off area.
Having been the fastest driver on the track for a large portion of the race’s last third, Russell let out an irate ‘NO!’ over the team radio as he slammed into the barrier.
As a result, this crash promoted team-mate Lewis Hamilton onto the final podium slot in Singapore, with Carlos Sainz holding on for a dramatic victory at Marina Bay as Lando Norris finished second.
However, after giving the incident some thought, the British driver was visibly upset over how he ended up finishish the race prematurely, considering that he was hoping to win the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay on Sunday.
“No words, to be honest,” Russell told Sky Sports F1 after the race. “Such a long race, physical race, difficult to keep concentration when Carlos was doing a great job backing the pack up, not allowing us to do the alternative strategy.
“I think we were half a car’s length from winning the race had I got past Lando when I had the opportunity.
“I think we’d have been able to get past Carlos and then just the last lap, a millimetre lapse of concentration and game over.
“So yeah, I’m just so sorry to the whole team. It was a really challenging race.
“You know, the tyres are dropping off and you’re pushing the limits.
“It’s how racing should be, you make a small mistake here and you’re bitten for it – but it’s heartbreaking after such a great weekend.
“The car’s felt great, qualifying was great, the race was great, we were bold with the strategy, I feel like I let myself down and the team down.
“It’s tough, but we’ll come back.”
