Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes, stated that George Russell’s retirement from the Formula 1 Canadian GP this Sunday (24) was caused by a battery failure that completely shut down the car.
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Russell left the race on lap 30 after going off track at the chicane of turns 8/9, when he was battling for the lead with his teammate, Kimi Antonelli. Before the problem, the two were engaged in a fierce internal battle for the lead.
Wolff explained the defect after the race: “It seems like a battery failure. The car was literally shutting down, there was no more electricity in the car,” he told Sky Sports F1.
Russell also commented on the moment of the failure: “Everything just suddenly turned off,” he said. “I entered the corner, the engine stopped, no electronics, no proper brakes. I am speechless.”
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Despite the retirement, Russell highlighted the good performance over the weekend in Montreal. “Pole in the sprint, I won the sprint, pole in qualifying. I was leading when I stopped,” he said.
With the result, Russell falls to 43 points behind Antonelli, who won for the fourth consecutive time this season.
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