George Russell: Belgian GP shunt the "biggest crash I have had"

Williams

Russell: Belgian GP shunt the "biggest crash I have had"

Russell crashed out after a stray tyre took out his FW43.

Ian Parkes & Nicolas Quarles van Ufford

Sunday 30 August 2020 21:00

Williams driver George Russell dubbed his race-ending shunt during the Belgian Grand Prix as the biggest of his career.

Russell was lapping two positions back from Antonio Giovinazzi when the Italian lost control of his Alfa Romeo on the exit of the Fagnes chicane. The heavy contact with a tyre barrier ripped the rear-left wheel and suspension away from the C39.

As Russell arrived on the scene at over 200kph, he was unable to avoid it, with the contact destroying the front-right portion of his Williams and pitching him into a barrier on the opposite side of the track from Giovinazzi's shunt.

"[That was] Probably the most dramatic incident I’ve had in Formula 1, no doubt," said Russell.

"To be honest, so far [before] today, I’ve only had a couple of offs. So it was the biggest crash I have had."

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Reflecting on the incident, he added: "I saw Antonio hit the wall. I managed to have a second to decide whether to go left or right.

"I saw him coming out of the wall and sort of staying slightly to the right, in which case I committed to the left and I think suddenly, he got flicked over by one of his rear wheels and that launched across and hit my car.

"I was doomed if I went right because I would’ve crashed into him, I was doomed if I went left because I hit his wheel. For a very split second, it was proper scary seeing that massive rear tyre flying across the circuit with no idea where it was going to go."

For Giovinazzi, the retirement was his first of the season, with the accident a result of pushing too hard.

The Italian commented: "[It was] Just a snap of oversteer on the exit. I was pushing just too much just to stay behind Sebastian on the DRS. Just too much on the limit and when you are always on the limit sometimes this will happen."

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