George Russell reveals Mercedes issue that nearly saw Max Verstappen steal Azerbaijan GP victory

F1 star George Russell has revealed a Mercedes car issue nearly cost him the victory in Saturday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a tense late battle with Red Bull star Max Verstappen.

Russell started the race in Baku on pole after dominating qualifying on Friday and was able to convert it into a win come the black and white checkered flag - his first victory since the Austrian Grand Prix back in June.

However, he crossed the finish line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Red Bull rival Verstappen in what proved to be a much closer finish than anybody anticipated.

As it turned out, he had actually lost the use of his turbo in the closing stages of the race, which is what allowed Verstappen to get so close.

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George Russell reveals Mercedes car issue after Max Verstappen battle

A relieved Russell first revealed the issue over his team radio once he had crossed the finish line.

"That was a fast last stint! He [Verstappen] was pushing," he said. "After the double yellow [for Bottas' crash] I lost the boost and had no power. I thought he was going to get us."

Russell then elaborated on the issue more when speaking after getting out of his car.

"The first half of the race felt pretty plain-sailing, getting the gap. The safety car restart with Max behind I thought 'this is not going to be easy' and he drove incredibly at the end of the race," Russell said.

"When the yellow flag came out [for Bottas at the end], I lifted off the power and when I went back I had no turbo, so then I had no power and Max almost got me at the line

"That would have been a real shame but all in all an incredible weekend."

Championship battle still alive

Russell's victory earned the Mercedes star a much-needed 25 points on a day that championship leader Kimi Antonelli could only manage 10 points and P5.

Russell now trails his team-mate in the fight for the F1 title by 66 points heading to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

By no means is that an easy deficit to overcome, but it's closer than he was before lights out, and with eight rounds of the season to go, Russell's title hopes are not done just yet.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton calls for Ferrari investigation after Azerbaijan Grand Prix flop

READ MORE: Lando Norris calls for FIA bans after Azerbaijan GP crash: 'Not driving that deserves to be in F1'

Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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