Why George Russell Had to Drop Out of the Canadian Grand Prix
Here’s what really happened to make George Russell drop out of the Canadian Grand Prix.
On Sunday, Russell started in pole position after just beating his teammate Kimi Antonelli in qualifying. But the day before, during the sprint race, there was some tension between them.
Antonelli ended up on the grass twice and wasn’t shy about showing his frustration on team radio. He even asked for Russell to be penalized for a “naughty manoeuvre.” Team boss Toto Wolff stepped in, telling him: “Can we focus on driving, please, and stop moaning on the radio?”
That certainly fired up both drivers at the start of the race. They battled hard for first place, with Antonelli briefly taking pole. When asked to give the spot back to Russell, Antonelli snapped, “Why? He pushed me off! I was ahead. What’s the point?”
Then, on lap 30, even bigger drama hit. Russell suddenly had to stop on track and couldn’t continue.
Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz later confirmed it was a power unit failure that forced Russell out. This was the first time he hadn’t finished a race since Silverstone earlier this year.
After talking with Mercedes, Kravitz said: “It was a power unit failure for George Russell. There was nothing he could do. That failure ended his race.”
Russell was clearly frustrated. He threw his gloves and headrest down in anger. The 28-year-old even mentioned the headrest in his post-race talks.
In the press conference after retiring, Russell said he was proud of his weekend since he won the sprint and qualified first. He said: “Everything just switched off suddenly. Engine stopped, no electronics… I’m a bit lost for words. I can’t say much more.”
When asked about his chances in the World Championship, he said: “I was leading before I stopped. Kimi and I had a good fight. I did all I could this weekend. I’m frustrated, but I’m still happy with how it went.”
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The race calendar is busy, with the Monaco GP on June 7, then Barcelona and Austria later in the month. After that comes the British GP at Silverstone on July 5, followed by Belgium and Hungary.
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