George Russell is frustrated that he once again faced bad luck during the race weekend at Suzuka. The Briton had just been to the pit lane for new tires during the race when the safety car came onto the track. Teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was thus able to make a shorter pit stop than the Briton. According to Russell, it is not the first time that bad luck at Mercedes has only affected him: ‘I am the one who suffers from it’.
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George Russell started the race at Suzuka in second, but ultimately did not achieve a podium finish. The Briton crossed the finish line in fourth, partly due to the unfortunate timing of the safety car for the driver. Russell had just been in for a tire change when the safety car period came into effect following Oliver Bearman’s crash.
NOW ONLINE: 40-page Race Special GP Japan: our online magazine with current events, reactions, analysis and interview!
“In racing, things sometimes go well and sometimes badly,” Russell reflected on his Japanese GP to the media afterwards. “It feels at the moment, over the last two weekends, as if all the problems we have are hitting me and I am the one suffering from it.” During the Chinese GP, Russell came to a standstill in qualifying and was later unable to keep teammate Kimi Antonelli off pole position. The Italian then won his first Grand Prix.
‘Matter of luck’
According to Russell, it is simply ‘bad luck’ that the problems at Mercedes mainly affect him. “That’s just how it went. It’s as if some people only have problems during practice, but we haven’t had a single problem during practice all season. I’ve had the problems during qualifying. So it’s just a matter of luck with these new cars. However, it’s race three of 22, so I’m not worried at all about what happens here and I know I have what it takes to come back.”
NOW ONLINE: 40-page Race Special GP Japan: our online magazine with current events, reactions, analysis and interview!
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