“The biggest mistake of my career”– George Russell

“The biggest mistake of my career”– George Russell recalls his last race in Imola, which resulted in him crashing behind a safety car.

Apart from Kimi Raikkonen, the whole paddock, for the first time, visited Imola. Still, it was not a fateful event for George Russell, who crashed behind a safety car during the last race in Imola.

He was certainly in a top 10 fight, but the crash blew his chances to gain his first points with Williams, and that is why the Briton appeared to be devastated after the incident; now Russell pledges to make amends upon his return to the same venue.

“I made what is probably the biggest mistake of my career at Imola in 2020 when crashing under the Safety Car,” he said. “It’s a track where, if you make a mistake, you’re out. But that’s what racing should be about!

“I’ll look to try and rectify my mistake from last year with a good result this weekend.”

Huge showers of consolation

After his flop show in Imola, Russell posted a public apology for the incident at Imola, which followed by his colleagues consoling him, explaining that it could happen to anyone.

“George, you were giving it your all,” Lewis Hamilton wrote on social media. “It’s OK to make mistakes, and it’s OK to feel the pain. I’ve made more than I can remember.

“You’re great, bud. Keep your head up and keep pushing, on to the next one.” Mark Webber said such mistakes are “all part of the polishing and continuing to lift the bar”, while David Coulthard said it is a “small blip in a long career ahead of you in F1.”

Russell is yet to score his first points with Williams, and this is his third year with the team. This year, the team has shown some improvement and might outdo Haas.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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