Russell calls Singapore Sprint crash his own mistake after qualifying sixth

George Russell qualified sixth for the Singapore Grand Prix after calling the crash that ended his Sprint his own mistake. He said the Mercedes felt different in qualifying and believed the hurried rebuild after the accident had affected his performance.

Heavy rain delayed the 20-lap Sprint by 30 minutes. After two formation laps, the field began on intermediate tyres; Russell started second, made a better getaway than polesitter Max Verstappen and took the lead into Turn 1.

His lead lasted only until the end of the opening lap: Russell lost control over the kerb at the final corner, hit the inside barrier and retired.

After qualifying, Russell called it a “very bad day”. He said the car did not feel as it had the previous day, that he was struggling with the rear and overheating tyres, and that it was “a bit of a downward spiral”.

Toto Wolff said Russell’s car had been finished “at the very last minute” and that the floor was “probably not quite as it should be”. He nevertheless judged the overall performance good.