Mercedes driver George Russell (engine failure): “It’s almost laughable”

What a bitter end to the race for George Russell – and does his retirement in Malaysia also spell the end of his World Championship dream? The Briton retired late in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia following an engine failure at the restart. He was forced to pull over and, as a result, came away empty-handed. He had been in third place at the time.

After the retirement, Russell was somewhat lost for words. Over the radio, he just muttered incomprehensibly to himself. His disappointment is plain to see – and entirely understandable. With this retirement, his last hopes of winning the World Championship have been dashed – not mathematically, but realistically speaking.

“More than disappointing”

Even after the race, when Russell had been taken back to the paddock on a scooter by a marshal, he still hadn’t quite found his voice. “It’s almost laughable,” said Russell bitterly, without a trace of a smile. “It’s more than disappointing. It’s happened several times this season already.” Russell had already retired with engine failure in Canada, whilst his team-mate Kimi Antonelli did so in Barcelona.

And what about the World Championship, which seemed almost certain at the start of the season? Is that a write-off now? Back in Madrid in September, he’d all but written off the World Championship – unless he were to be extremely lucky in future. Unfortunately, however, he was unlucky.

World Championship? Incredibly unlikely

Russell: “I don’t need to go out of my way to say that I think it’s over or anything, but of course it’s incredibly unlikely. It’s simply the reality I was aware of. If I wanted to make a comeback, I needed luck on my side. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side.”

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Russell then does the maths: “It would have been a three-point deficit today, but it turned into an 18-point deficit.” Second place is worth 18 points, third 15. Antonelli was in second place when Russell dropped out and finished in that position. Russell: “And of course, if the problem had been on the other side, it would have been an 18-point lead. It’s a real shame, but that’s just the way it is.” The gap in the World Championship now stands at 84 points. With seven races and one sprint race still to go, 183 points are still up for grabs.