Mercedes’ Australian GP went from bad to worse, with George Russell following Lewis Hamilton in suffering a DNF. The entire weekend was far from ideal for Mercedes, with Russell’s potential points finish being the only positive for the team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for the Silver Arrows, as their younger driver ended the race with the car on its side.
It was all going relatively well for Russell until the penultimate lap of the outing at Albert Park. Looking to overtake Fernando Alonso for P6, he pushed his car a bit too hard, leading to disaster. Coming too close to Alonso’s car, Russell lost all airflow, and there was no downforce to help him maintain control.
Eventually, the Briton encountered major oversteer, sending him into the gravel trap at high speed. He then hit his front left tire into the wall before completely losing control, and ricocheting back on the track to the right, breaking the front left suspension. The W-15 came to a halt, with George Russell’s car ending up on its side and the medics coming over to help the Mercedes driver get out.
LAP 58/58
Big crash for George Russell
The Mercedes driver radioes to say he’s okay.
The race will finish behind the Virtual Safety Car #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/SjooKJ8Y5v
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2024
Thankfully, the British driver sustained no injuries from this crash. However, Mercedes suffered a lot of damage. Aside from the reparation cost from Russell’s car, Lewis Hamilton‘s W15, which had a power unit issue, also needs their attention.
Both their drivers ended up with a DNF, meaning Mercedes earned no points in Australia. This result adds insult to injury for the team, who seem to be going the wrong way on their supposed road to resurgence.
Fans react to George Russell losing out on points in Australia
Russell had a few points in the bag until he decided to attack a far more experienced Alonso. The aggression led to Russell losing out on all points, which is something that has happened before. Taking note of the same, F1 fans took to X to have their say on the crash.
if i had a nickel for everytime george russell spun out on the last lap i would have two nickels.. which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right? pic.twitter.com/OgHLi9Eqzw
— saff (@lovepiastri) March 24, 2024
george russell’s biggest opp is the last lap of a race
— Hayley McGoldrick (@GoldieOnSports) March 24, 2024
george russell’s biggest opp is the last lap of a race
— Hayley McGoldrick (@GoldieOnSports) March 24, 2024
Some fans expressed concerns about Russell crumbling under pressure for the second time.
george russell if crashing out on the last lap was a sport
— xilef ® (@f0rmulaswag) March 24, 2024
We need to have serious conversations about George Russell man, the second there’s even something on the line, he gets magnetized into a wall
— Luke (@ElPredestinato) March 24, 2024
Meanwhile, one fan rose a question about Russell’s dependability amid fingers being raised on Leclerc’s second-place finish.
Well if Leclerc is not good enough for finishing second what we can say about future world champion George Russell
— Cande (@candeleclerc16) March 24, 2024
Mercedes have until the first week of April to come up with a plan to turn their luck around. Sporting a completely revamped car for the 2024 season, their performances have been nowhere close to the expectations. Under the current circumstances, a Mercedes resurgence seems far-fetched. However, there is still time for them to bring about upgrade packages to their car and significantly improve their runs.
