Mercedes star George Russell retired from the F1 Canadian GP whilst in the lead of the race. The Briton was having a fierce on-track battle with his teammate when the power unit gave up. Fans took to the social media platform X and reacted to Russell’s DNF.
George Russell started in P1 with Kimi Antonelli alongside him, locking the front row for Mercedes. Lando Norris overtook both the Mercedes off the line on intermediate tires, with Antonelli overtaking Russell off the line.
After Norris pitted after just a couple of laps, Antonelli and Russell started battling for the lead of the race. The duo changed positions multiple times and battled hard. Both Mercedes drivers made mistakes whilst in the lead, which included locking up into the hairpin.
After a close moment into the final hairpin, George Russell continued into the lead when on Lap 30, the Mercedes power unit gave up, and the Briton had to park up the car on the exit of Turns 7 & 8.
A closer look at the onboard revealed the power unit giving up as the Mercedes started smoking after coming to a halt. Fans took to the social media platform X and reacted to the DNF.
“The allegations of sabotage, I can feel it coming,” commented a user
Another wrote, “Toto Wolff hit the kill switch.”
“They are clearly favoring Kimi and it’s clear,” commented another
Some focused on the intense battle between Kimi Antonelli and George Russell and suggested that the two would’ve eventually ended up crashing, especially after the Sprint race incident earlier this weekend.
“What a shame. Kimi was about to cause a crash and take them both out,” commented a user
Another wrote, “Damn I was thinking kimi would crash since he’s reckless”
“It was a matter of time til something happened”
Just a few laps after Russell retired, Lando Norris in the McLaren, which also runs the Mercedes power unit, parked up after a drivetrain issue.
George Russell furious after retiring from the Canadian GP
George Russell’s Mercedes power unit suddenly gave up and lost all power in an instant. The Briton was furious and, after the DNF, threw the headrest onto the track. As he got up to get out of the car, he bashed the nose of the car.
The Mercedes driver was visibly angry. Russell has been trailing Kimi Antonelli in the championship after a streak of finishing behind his teammate. The Canadian GP, where Russell won last year, was an opportunity to cut the Italian’s lead in the championship, but the retirement means the gap will increase to 40+ points if Antonelli wins.
Toto Wolff was seen consoling Russell as the Briton returned to the paddock.
Edited by Pranay Bhagi