George Russell is left disconsolate following last lap mistake that cost him an almost certain podium, possibly a win.

As the field began the final lap it was clear that Mercedes hopes of a shock victory might not be realised.

In their bold pursuit of race leader Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris the Silver Arrows had taken the best out of the medium tyres and were finally beginning to slide about… nonetheless, there was always that chance of a mistake up ahead.

Even so, George Russell was certain of the final place on the podium... then came the moment that he went straight on at Turn 10 into the barrier opposite, having hit the wall at the entry to the corner.

As teammate Lewis Hamilton headed to the podium for the post-race celebrations, Russell was inconsolable, and though hiding his pain behind dark glasses it was clear during post-race interviews that he had been crying.

"With Carlos managing the pace for the whole duration, it's quite difficult to keep a concentration because we were driving one and a half seconds off the pace," the Briton said of the early stages of the race.

"But it was only natural for him to do that with let's say the tyre advantage we had," he added, referring to the fact that Mercedes had saved a fresh set of mediums on Saturday, "and if he went any faster it would have only given us the opportunity."

"We obviously got fortunate with the Virtual Safety Car," he admitted, "and that was when the race really turned on its head and got really exciting.

"I was really pushing flat-out," he continued. "But again, Carlos did a great job was to manage the gap with the DRS with Lando. It was very smart of him to do that.

"I had half a chance with Lando, half a car's length different I think would have won the race because I‘d have got ahead of Lando and then Carlos would have been stuck with no DRS and I would have flew by him.

"Instead, I ended the race in the wall and no idea what happened, how that happened; probably a lack of concentration, maybe frustration knowing that that was the last lap, the opportunity was gone.

"A one-centimetre mistake has sort of clouded the whole weekend," he sighed.

"In the moment, you just want to curl up in a ball and be with nobody," he replied, when asked how he felt emotionally. "It's the most horrendous feeling in the world. When you're so physically drained, mentally drained, you missed out on an opportunity of victory, and then to make such a mistake. It's truly heart-breaking."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 19/09/2023 12:24

"Different gender base but Rudi Vallee nailed it in 1962 ....."

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2. Posted by jcr, 19/09/2023 9:49

"Hammi was marginally quicker only because George was forced to drive in a semi defensive mode.
Very bad one sided management from Tutu, as usual."

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3. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 18/09/2023 20:36

"I wonder if Russell was so fixated on the rear of the McLaren that he tracked right - following Norris’s line - but was just 1cm closer to the wall at the critical moment. They both bounced off the same part of the wall but Norris’ impact was more gentle.

Whilst Russell was understandably hard on himself for making the error, as we know from Monaco 1988, it can happen to the very best of drivers. "

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4. Posted by GreenFlag, 18/09/2023 18:18

"Hamilton was so much faster than Russell. Mercedes should have instructed George to let Lewis through so he could fight for the win. Russell only hit the wall because he was trying to fend off Hamilton. Racing is about winning, not fending off your faster teammate. Red Bull would have made Perez let Max through in similar circumstances."

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5. Posted by Spindoctor, 18/09/2023 15:00

"Feel sorry for the lad, unfortunately he made a tiny mistake & it's those minute mistakes which are the difference between winning & being nowhere.
Hamilton was marginally quicker at the end of the race - my guess is his car was set up for the race where Russell's more for one lap.

Looking forward to next race...."

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6. Posted by Superbird70, 18/09/2023 13:05

"Russell drove great, and Mercedes strategy with the medium tire allocation alomost came to fruition. Russell's only fault was not realizing that P1 was out of reach on lap 60 given how Sainz was manipulating the DRS."

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7. Posted by Wokingchap, 18/09/2023 9:03

"I, like so many others, really felt for George, he drove such a great race and it was such a pleasure to watch. "

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"It's truly heart-breaking," admits Russell

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