Russell left to rue Singapore hiccups as Mercedes deliver 'race-winning car'
Russell left to rue Singapore hiccups as Mercedes deliver 'race-winning car'
George Russell was left to rue his troublesome Singapore Grand Prix after declaring his Mercedes a car "capable of winning".
The Silver Arrows have struggled for pace all season other than on high-downforce layouts in Budapest and Zandvoort.
Whilst the Marina Bay Street Circuit played into the team's hands on paper, its record on bumpy street tracks has left a lot to be desired.
Lewis Hamilton proved the W13's pace in qualifying on Saturday as he claimed third on the grid, just 0.054secs behind Charles Leclerc's pole lap in his Ferrari.
A mechanical gremlin, however, left Russell only 11th before Mercedes triggered a pit-lane start when changing the Briton's power unit.
Russell struggled to make inroads into the field on intermediate tyres and became an effective guinea pig for Mercedes when switching to slicks on a still-damp surface.
Contact with Mick Schumacher's Haas added further woe to Russell's race, leaving him left wondering what might have been.
Turning first to the positives from the race, Russell said: "Confidence restored that we fixed the car and our normal pace was back.
"We definitely had a car this weekend that was capable of winning. That is one thing ticked off, let's say. Just a bit of a shame how this weekend has unfolded.
"We were very, very fast. Had it not been for that incident with Mick then we would have finished inside the top 10 definitely. Not too sure what happened there.
"It is the way F1 goes sometimes. We have had such a good run of form and as a team, we have been pretty flawless all season but obviously, this weekend went against us."
Russell explains premature slick switch
When Russell pitted for a set of medium tyres under virtual safety car conditions, he was forced to control a rally-style powerslide as he drove through the puddles on the inside of turn three.
Over the course of a number of laps, Russell lost considerable time and at one stage was lapping five seconds per lap slower than Alex Albon ahead of him.
Addressing the strategy choice, he explained: "I was asking to pit for a new set of inters.
"In my situation, the team trust me and thought it was time to go on slicks and try something.
"Obviously at the time, it was totally the wrong decision but it did pay dividends later down the line because once we did have that safety car and the restart, I overtook three cars in one lap and was up to P11 before that incident with Mick.
"It goes both ways, we had to try something but I think we showed we are making a lot of progress and that gives me confidence for the rest of the year."
Related news

Former Ferrari driver insists Sainz win doesn't 'taste special'

Palmer identifies the culprit behind Red Bull's Singapore letdown

AlphaTauri CEO reveals how Tsunoda struggles HELPED Lawson

Fans enraged over 'SHAMEFUL' Mercedes behaviour towards Hamilton
Most read

Surprise F1 name tipped to partner Verstappen at Red Bull

Hamilton hits waves with Ferrari rival as F1 stars pictured on break

F1 News Today: Wolff brutally plays down huge Mercedes decision as Perez raises alarm over employee welfare

F1 News Today: Verstappen makes Ricciardo accusation as Horner issues worrying Mercedes verdict

Verstappen accuses Ricciardo of ‘trying to kill everyone’ at karting event
F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
-
Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
-
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Australia 2023
-
Grand Prix of China 2023
-
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
-
Miami Grand Prix 2023
-
Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
-
Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
-
AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
-
Grand Prix du Canada 2023
-
Grand Prix of Austria 2023
-
Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
-
Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
-
Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
-
Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Italy 2023
-
Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
-
Grand Prix of Japan 2023
-
Qatar Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of the United States 2023
-
Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
-
Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
-
Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media

7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860