“Really Disappointing”: Russell Reflects on Crushing Silverstone DNF

George Russell suffered a heartbreaking DNF at his home race, after leading in the opening stages from pole position at Silverstone.

Russell was aiming for back-to-back wins after winning a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix a week earlier and after looking controlled in the opening stages and set for victory in front of his home crowd, changing conditions and a car issue saw Russell fall down the order and eventually retire from the Grand Prix.

Russell’s teammate and fellow compatriot Lewis Hamilton took victory at the 2024 British Grand Prix, marking his first win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but not only is it an important win for Hamilton, it’s the second win for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, perhaps indicating a change in fortunes for the Silver Arrows after a tough few seasons.

Speaking to F1TV, Russell said: “It’s really disappointing, everything was under control in the beginning in the dry, then very challenging conditions in the damp, I started to lose some power and next thing I had to retire the car, so pretty disappointing.

“For sure we’ll take the positives, the cars fast and we’ll have more opportunities but to retire from any race is disappointing let alone your home race, especially when we had a shot at least a podium today.”

Russell will be aiming to bounce back at the Hungarian Grand Prix next time out. The Briton has been enjoying a successful season with Mercedes, having the better of seven-time world champion Hamilton so far. With back-to-back victories for the team, Mercedes will be confident of a result in Budapest.

Russell leading the race from pole – Photo: Jiri Krenek