For most of the 2024 Canadian GP weekend, the Mercedes W15 was surprisingly the fastest car on the track. George Russell took full advantage and took pole position for the race. However, the Briton finished third in the race despite a good start and maintaining his starting position during the first lap. Following Russell’s failure to win, F1 journalist and former driver Naomi Schiff believes he has only himself to blame. On the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 YouTube podcast, he said:
“I think unfortunately for George, whether he won or not, he made too many mistakes. And like a pilot, especially when you think there is a chance to win and you make a mistake yourself, you are going to be very hard on yourself, because it is an incredible opportunity that is now lost“.
Lando Norris passed George Russell for the lead around lap 21. While defending against the McLaren man, Russell ran off the track around the wall of champions.
In doing so, the Mercedes driver also lost a position to Max Verstappen and finished third. Towards the end of the race, Russell was also overtaken by his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
However, the 26-year-old fought back and took the final podium spot. Since Russell failed to win his first race in 2024, he was disappointed in himself. Like Russell, even Hamilton was disappointed with his own weekend.
Lewis Hamilton admits dejected results of the Canadian GP
Hamilton admitted he had one of the worst races of his career at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Although the seven-time champion blamed himself for his troubles, fans attributed his poor performance to a less favorable strategy for him compared to Russell. This scenario also added to current suggestions of favoritism towards Russell.
However, it is pertinent to note that Hamilton’s performances have been incredibly poor, especially on Saturdays compared to Russell’s. Indeed, Hamilton’s own admission that he will not be able to beat the 26-year-old this season in qualifying has raised more questions than answers.
