Russell rues ‘missed opportunity’ in Canada

George Russell was left disappointed as he slipped backwards in the Canadian Grand Prix from initially holding the lead to crossing the line in P3, but the Briton also hailed the progress displayed by Mercedes in an overall strong weekend for the squad.

After starting from pole position for only the second time in his career, Russell made a good start and remained in P1 for the opening segment of the race. However, he was soon overtaken by a fast Lando Norris before also losing a position to Max Verstappen amid changing track conditions.

READ MORE: Verstappen beats Norris to victory in thrilling wet/dry Canadian GP

While he made some errors and faced battles along the way with the likes of Oscar Piastri – as well as a late-race duel with team mate Lewis Hamilton – Russell ultimately took third place, marking his and Mercedes’ first podium of the season. Despite this, the 26-year-old had mixed emotions when reflecting on his eventful afternoon.

“It felt like a missed opportunity, to be honest,” Russell commented after the race. “We were really quick at the beginning of the race on the [intermediate tyres], and then obviously Lando came through really fast and then we jumped back onto the slicks.