Spanish Grand Prix “a survival race” for Russell after car issues

George Russell has said his race was “survival” after a water leak emerged on his way to third in Spain.

The British driver was forced to ignore any need to cool his Mercedes W13 in a tough battle with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen in an attempt to retain his race lead.

However, Russell and Mercedes were out-flanked by their 2021 title rivals, with the Milton Keynes-based operation using their numbers advantage to take home a 1-2.

But Russell’s race was also threatened by a late reliability issue, forcing not only his car but also teammate Sir Lewis Hamilton to slow in the closing stages.

Hamilton was forced to relinquish fourth to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, but luckily for the team, Russell was not forced to lose any positions.

Following the race, Russell told Pedro de la Rosa about his issues, saying:

“It hurt us a lot, to be honest, but when I had the Red Bulls in my mirrors all I was feeling was my maximum to keep them behind and it was an enjoyable couple of laps.

“It was very difficult in the last few laps, it was a survival race but we knew we had the gap and, as I said, just proud to bring it home in P3.”

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt