A “heartbroken” George Russell struggled to carry again the tears after he believed victory slipped by means of his palms in Singapore on a frenetic night time when Red Bull’s profitable streak lastly got here to an finish.
Max Verstappen arrived within the city-state on a file run of 10 straight victories, together with his Red Bull group unbeaten this season. But Formula One’s all-conquering group had been nowhere right here – dashing their hopes of changing into the grid’s first ‘Invincibles’. Verstappen completed fifth.
Instead it was Carlos Sainz, who was topped the primary non-Red Bull winner of the 12 months.
The Ferrari driver took the chequered flag simply eight tenths away from McLaren’s Lando Norris, following one other wonderful drive by the British star, with Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes. Russell’s bid for victory ended within the wall on the final lap with solely 9 corners left.
“In the moment you want to curl up in a ball and be with nobody,” mentioned Russell as he cleared his throat and his eyes crimson.
“It is the most horrendous feeling in the world when you are so physically and mentally drained and you miss out on an opportunity for victory. I made a mistake. It is truly heartbreaking.”
At a circuit the place overtaking is sort of unattainable, Mercedes rolled the technique cube by placing each Russell and Hamilton on recent tyres on lap 45 of 62.
Russell left the pits 17.5 seconds behind Sainz. On lap 53, he swatted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc apart and victory – which might have been solely the second of his profession – regarded attainable.
Sainz, on previous tyres, was eight seconds up the street. Norris was nibbling on the Ferrari gearbox, as Russell and Hamilton, within the different black-liveried Mercedes in tow, set about searching them down.
Russell was quickly on the again of Norris’ papaya McLaren. With Norris out of the best way, Sainz would certainly be straightforward prey.
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With three laps to run, Russell was handed his golden alternative. The Mercedes man acquired higher traction out of Turn 14 and almost drew alongside Norris earlier than slipping again into his tow and trying to plant his machine across the outdoors of his countryman below braking for Turn 16.
But amid of a flurry of orange sparks, Norris couldn’t be dislodged. And Russell’s probability was gone.
Then, on the final lap of a race which ran for one hour and 46 minutes within the intense warmth and humidity and is regarded to be probably the most difficult of the 12 months, Russell was out. He brushed the barrier on the entry to Turn 10 and crashed into the barrier.
“No, no, f***, f***,” the breathless Briton yelled over the radio. “What the f***.”
“I had half-a-chance with Lando,” mentioned Russell. “Half-a-car’s length difference and I think we would have won the race.
“I would have got ahead of Lando and Carlos would have been stuck without DRS and I would have flown by him. Instead, I ended the race in the wall.
“I don’t know how it happened, maybe a lack of concentration, frustration knowing that was the last lap and the opportunity had gone and a one centimetre mistake has clouded the whole weekend.
“It was such a nothing of a mistake. If I span off, or locked up and ended up in the wall I would be feeling very different. But to clip the wall on the last lap is such a pathetic mistake which is why it feels so strange right now. I put everything on the line, I was knackered at the end.
“I will have a tough night and a tough morning, but I will put it behind me and go again. I can only apologise to the team because they deserved more, but s*** happens.”
Hamilton tapped Russell on the midriff to supply his sympathy because the seven-time world champion performed his interviews.
Russell wore darkish sun shades as he walked off into the obvious gentle of the paddock – maybe to cover the ache.
Hamilton, who claimed his 196th podium, mentioned: “For George, it was really unfortunate to finish that way, but he continues to grow and improve.
“I know he will get stronger and faster, and if can help him, I will naturally be part of that over the next couple of years. It can happen to any of us and it it just one of those things.”
