On the 2024 Canadian GP weekend, George Russell came close to giving Mercedes its first F1 victory since Sao Paulo 2022. However, in a ‘wet-dry’ thriller at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Briton made a mistake. too many mistakes. He helped Max Verstappen, who was not the favorite for the start, to his sixth victory of the year.
For Russell, it was not a wasted afternoon. He scored Mercedes’ first Grand Prix podium in 2024 in Montreal. But he was very critical about losing the victory because of what he felt was his fault.
After the race, the Briton admitted: “It was a complicated race. One millimeter wide and that’s it. For me, there were too many mistakes at key moments (according to Crash.net).
Russell’s honesty has been met with praise but also concern from F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham.
Reacting to Russell’s comments after the Canadian GP, Pinkham said: “Maybe you need to hold back a little more when the microphone goes right under your nose. If I were directing it, I’d say ‘don’t do that initially.’ And we will discuss that later in the team report.”
Pinkham further explained that Russell needs to create an image that others will buy into. But the 26-year-old’s past mistakes have arguably left him open to any sense of false modesty.
Does George Russell really tend to crumble under pressure?
Despite Mercedes’ declining fortunes in F1’s ground effect era, Russell has been spearheading its resurgence with great credibility. He remains the only Silver Arrows driver to have won a Grand Prix in this latest era of Red Bull dominance.
However, there have been cases where his leadership and composure have been called into question. At the 2023 Singapore GP, Russell came close to passing Carlos Sainz for the lead towards the end of the race. But after being pressured by McLaren’s Lando Norris, he went off the track and crashed into the barriers.
Once again, he seemingly crumbled under the pressure in Las Vegas. Mercedes had the opportunity to get on the podium at the inaugural Las Vegas GP, but once again it slipped through the Briton’s hands.
Kimi Antonelli, 17, is being touted as his teammate in the near future. As such, Mercedes will expect more consistency from the Kings Lynn-born driver and for him to lead by example.
