Mercedes driver George Russell said he was “lost for words” after retiring from the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix lead, but said he “loved” his intense battle with team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Russell and Antonelli had been trading the lead until power unit trouble saw Russell coast to a halt on lap 30, handing Antonelli a comfortable drive to his fourth consecutive grand prix win. As a result, the 19-year-old Italian expanded his title lead to 43 points.
Russell admitted he was “lost for words” after suffering a bitter blow in the title race. “Everything just turned off all of a sudden,” he told Sky. “Just went into the corner, engine stopped, no electronics, no proper braking. I’m a bit lost for words to be honest right now.
“I’ve got to be honest, I’m proud of my weekend. Pole in the sprint, won the sprint, pole in qualifying. I was leading when I stopped, I had good [fun] battling with Kimi. From my side I don’t feel like there was anything more I could have done this weekend. So, I’ll leave satisfied. Of course, I’m pretty damn frustrated with what’s happened. But yeah, what more can I do?”
A day after he and Antonelli traded blows in the sprint race, Russell said he enjoyed his fierce battle with his younger team-mate, which reminded him of go-karting.
“I thought it was great, I loved it to be honest, I really enjoyed it,” he added. “I felt like the karting days, you know, we didn’t make any contact, it was hard, close. Yeah, I loved it. That’s what racing is about. I’d have loved to have continued it for 30 more laps.”
In Russell’s absence, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton snatched second away from Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in the final laps, while neither McLaren car finished in the points after a calamitous afternoon for the reigning world champions.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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