Impetuous and impatient. George Russell was widely criticised after the Canadian GP. Several mistakes robbed the Mercedes driver of any chance of victory. First the mistake on lap 21, when he lost his lead to Lando Norris. Russell came off the track and opened the door for Max Verstappen, who thanked him with an overtaking manoeuvre. Then the mistake in the final sprint. A ride into the run-off area after the attack on Oscar Piastri cost Lewis Hamilton valuable time and even a position.
Russell was very angry after the race in Montreal. Although Mercedes’ strategy at the Canadian GP was also suboptimal, the Briton found the biggest problem to be his own: it was one mistake too many to fight for victory.
“The thing that annoyed George most in Canada was that he had to be angry with himself,” said MSM expert Christian Danner. “He saw very clearly that he had made a huge mistake. He actually threw it away, there was more to it.”
Will George Russell soon be at Max Verstappen’s level?
Too many mistakes that give away victories and important points. Not just at the Canadian GP. In Australia, Russell was irritated by Fernando Alonso on the penultimate lap and flew off dangerously. Even worse was Singapore 2023. There, the Brit crashed on the last lap in P2 while chasing Carlos Sainz for the win. These examples sound like impatience and overtaking at all costs, with a crowbar or crash. Can Mercedes afford to go into the next season with such a number 1 driver?
In the AvD Motorsport magazine, Danner sees a parallel to Max Verstappen, who managed to transform from a hot-headed crash pilot into an ice-cold racing machine. “I think the comparison with Verstappen is the right one,” says the ex-pilot. “Because people who are intelligent, who are open to developing themselves, like Max Verstappen, have an advantage and that’s how I see George Russell too.”
The Mercedes driver may still be prone to making mistakes, especially under pressure, but Christian Danner believes he will improve: “Yes, he was a bit impetuous. He makes too many mistakes, but there is still room for improvement in terms of learning potential. What Russell needs now is a certain calmness. And then comes what we have already seen with Verstappen, namely being able to drive flawless, error-free Grands Prix.”
A point that the Mercedes driver has not yet reached, but could reach. With the right encouragement. “Russell is not there yet,” says the MSM expert. “Maybe he is a bit too impatient, but there are people you can talk to about it. Even if it is Toto Wolff.”
The complete interview with our motorsport expert Christian Danner, including his opinion on the Formula 1 car for 2026 and detailed analyses of the balance of power between Ferrari and Mercedes, can be found here in the video:
Toto Wolff – The Voice of Reason
The Mercedes team boss himself contacted Russell on the radio during the Canadian GP. “Concentrate, George, concentrate,” he reminded the driver after the Briton lost the position he had just gained to Lando Norris on lap 51 due to another mistake.
“Toto said yes, I know my George,” says Christian Danner, aware of the situation. “Of course, they live next to each other in Monaco, they don’t just see each other at the race track. He knows him from a long time ago, of course. And he said he always intervenes on the radio because he noticed that he was getting a bit fidgety and fidgety again. Now I have to intervene.”
It is precisely from such encouragement and admonitions at the right moment that the Mercedes driver can learn to act less impetuously. “I think that if you build on that, then Russell has the opportunity to develop further,” says Danner. “I think that [fehleranfällige Fahren] he will take off.”