At the 2024 Canadian GP weekend, George Russell was close to getting Mercedes its first F1 win since Sao Paolo 2022. However, in a ‘wet-dry’ thriller at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Briton made a few too many mistakes. It helped Max Verstappen, who wasn’t the favorite for the outing, secure his sixth win of the year.
For Russell, it wasn’t a futile afternoon. He secured Mercedes’ first Grand Prix podium of 2024 in Montreal. But he was very critical about losing out on the win through what he felt was his fault.
After the race, the Briton admitted, “It was a tricky race. One millimeter wide, and you’re off. For me, it was one too many mistakes at key moments (per Crash.net).
Russell’s honesty has been met with praise but also concern by F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham.
“Not good enough from my side”
An honest reflection of his mistake in Canada from George Russell pic.twitter.com/ou4ywHF5VJ
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 18, 2023
Reacting to Russell‘s comments after the Canadian GP, Pinkham said, “He maybe needs to hold a bit more back when the microphone goes straight under his nose. If I was managing him I’d say ‘hold that back initially. And we will go through it in the team debrief later.”
Pinkham further explained that Russell needs to curate an image that others would buy into. But the 26-year-old’s errors in the past have arguably left him exposed to any sense of false modesty.
Does George Russell really tend to crumble under pressure?
Despite Mercedes’ tumbling fortunes in the ground-effect era of F1, Russell has been spearheading their resurgence with great credibility. He is still the only Silver Arrows driver to win a Grand Prix in this latest era of Red Bull dominance.
Yet, there have been instances where his leadership and composure have been called into question. At the 2023 Singapore GP, Russell was close to making a move on Carlos Sainz for the lead towards the end of the race. But after being put under pressure by McLaren’s Lando Norris, he went off the track and into the barriers.
LAP 62/62
“Aggggghhhhhh, no, no!!!!”
Russell is into the barriers and out! #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/4h8ybvTy1F
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 17, 2023
Once again, he seemingly crumbled under pressure in Las Vegas. Mercedes had the chance to stand on the podium for the inaugural Vegas GP, but once again, it slipped out of the Briton’s hands.
17-year-old Kimi Antonelli is being touted as his teammate in the near future. As such, Mercedes will expect more consistency from the Kings Lynn-born driver and him to lead by example.
