George Russell started the Canadian GP weekend in the best possible fashion, having grabbed the pole position for Sunday’s race. He even got a strong start, but couldn’t convert his second-career pole into a win. While Russell believed he could beat Max Verstappen (who started P2), Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff feels that they got too greedy.
Russell led the race cleanly at the start, with Verstappen trailing close behind. At that point, the track was damp, but Lando Norris in his McLaren managed to pass both Russell and Verstappen as it started drying up. Then, the safety car brought out due to Logan Sargeant’s crash shuffled the order once more.
Verstappen took advantage of this, and reclaimed the lead, leaving Russell to fend off Norris. “A victory was maybe a long shot, or a short dream when George was on the hard and catching up, showing a strong pace. Maybe for a second, we thought about it but you mustn’t be too greedy,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“Victory was a short dream”
Toto reflects on a frustrating but positive weekend for the Silver Arrows pic.twitter.com/4syvWIBWQb
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 9, 2024
Russell admitted to making several mistakes himself. A missed opportunity per the 26-year-old, he said, “We had a good pace at the beginning on the inters, made a couple of mistakes out there pushing the limits.”
Russell’s weekend went downhill after the track started drying up. But that doesn’t take anything away from Mercedes’ strong weekend. After constant struggles in the first few races of the season, the Silver Arrows will be hoping that their result in Canada marks a turning point.
An epic podium battle between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton
In the final few laps of the Canadian GP, the race heated up. Both Mercedes and McLaren was in the mix, and Lewis Hamilton briefly snatched P3 away from Russell. Eventually, the latter was able to regroup and get his spot back, and Hamilton was left disappointed.
The seven-time World Champion described the Canadian Grand Prix as “one of the worst races” he had ever driven. He expressed his frustration during the post-race interviews, saying, “Over the weekend just a really poor performance from myself.”
“Today was one of the worst races I’ve driven”
An honest Lewis Hamilton reflects on a P4 finish in Canada pic.twitter.com/CdR8pdS9MH
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 9, 2024
He added that the car’s improved performance wasn’t enough to achieve the desired result. “I think this weekend the car was capable of winning. That’s why it is not such a great feeling,” said the 39-year-old.
Despite not being able to capitalize on a strong weekend, Mercedes would be over the moon considering they are somewhat back in the mix with the top 3 teams.
