George Russell reacts to Canadian GP DNF as Kimi Antonelli wins | F1 | Sport

George Russell declared himself lost for words after the galling DNF in Montreal which has handed team-mate Kimi Antonelli a huge Formula 1 title boost. The two Mercedes drivers had been duelling hard for nearly 30 laps when the engine on Russell‘s car gave up the ghost, forcing the Brit to pull over at the side of the track and pound his Silver Arrow in fury.

Antonelli was left clear to take a fourth consecutive win and open the gap between them in the drivers’ championship to 45 points. Speaking in the media pen after trudging back to the paddock and having an arm put around him by team principal Toto Wolff, Russell said he was proud of his performance over the Canadian Grand Prix weekend despite its sour end.

He said: “Just everything turned off all of a sudden, I just went into the corner and, yeah, the engine stopped. No electronics, no proper braking. I’m just lost for words to be honest right now. It’s… yeah, I can’t say any more.

“I’ve got to be honest, I’m proud of my weekend. Pole in the Sprint, won the Sprint, pole for the Grand Prix and I was leading when I stopped, after a good battle with Kimi. From my side, I don’t feel like there was anything more I could have done this weekend, so I’ll leave satisfied. Of course, I’m pretty damn frustrated with what’s happened, but what more can I do?”

Shortly before Russell’s engine problem struck, Antonelli had been told over the radio that the team would be forced to intervene if they continued to risk the one-two finish that was on the cards. Both had swapped positions several times as they duelled for the lead and came close to colliding on more than one occasion, causing plenty of stress in the Mercedes garage.

But Russell waved away any suggestion that they were going over the line. He said of his battle with Antonelli: “”I though the battle was great, to be honest. I loved it, really enjoyed it. It felt like the karting days. We didn’t make any contact, it was hard, close… I loved it. That’s what racing is about, and I’d have loved to have continued it for 30 more laps.”

Russell wasn’t the only Brit who suffered a miserable day – Lando Norris also found himself making the long walk back to the paddock after his McLaren broke down a few laps later. Things were already going badly for the team before that as they had decided to start Norris and Oscar Piastri on intermediate tyres due to the light rain that was falling, but it turned out to be the wrong call.

The track was far too dry for the inters and both drivers had visited the pit lane to switch to slicks by the end of the second lap. That put them both down the order but their respective fightbacks were hampered by Norris suffering that DNF and Piastri losing a front wing in a collision with Alex Albon.