George Russell's Big Crashes
George Russell burst onto the Formula 1 scene as an incredibly promising talent with a strong racing record alongside him. After securing victory in the 2018 Formula 2 Championship, Russell secured his first ever Formula 1 seat with Williams for the following season.
In one of the slower cars on the grid, Russell exhibited his exceptional skills, consistently scoring good qualifying and race results. It was this impressive performance and perseverance that inevitably saw Russell promoted into a race seat at Mercedes for the 2022 season onwards.
Despite his talent, George Russell has been involved with several costly crashes and incidents during his time at the pinnacle of motorsport. With multiple high-profile accidents to his name, there are some understandable questions about his consistency and race craft.
Imola 2020
In his second year in F1, Russell found himself running in the top 10 when the safety car came out. On the brink of scoring his first-ever points in the championship, he crashed out of the race with cold tyres behind the safety car.
Image via Sky Sports
Image via PlanetF1
Imola 2021
Whilst trying to pass Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas on the approach to Tamburello, Russell crashed into the side of the Finnish driver. Russell emerged from his car to confront Bottas, hitting his helmet and later suggesting that Bottas was at fault and felt his seat at Mercedes was under threat. He later apologised for his actions.
Austria 2022
In a battle for fourth place, Russell clashed with Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez on the opening lap at the exit of Turn 4. The collision saw Pérez forced to retire later in the race due to the amount of damage sustained. The British driver received a five-second penalty, and ultimately finished fourth.
Image via The Race
Silverstone 2022
Russell was forced to retire from the British Grand Prix after his Mercedes was clipped before veering into Zhou Guanyu and flipping Zhou’s car upside down.
Baku 2023
The Mercedes driver came into contact with reigning world champion Max Verstappen during the sprint race around the streets of Baku. After making a move to take third place, Verstappen was left with a significant hole in one of his sidepods. After the race, the Dutchman expressed his anger towards Russell with a brief argument.
Image via Sky Sports
Image via F1
Monaco 2023
At a rainy Monaco, Russell ran off the track and had to re-join. When driving back onto the track, Pérez was approaching, and could not avoid Russell. The British driver was punted and received a five-second penalty for re-joining the track in an unsafe manner.
Spain 2023
During qualifying, George Russell collided with teammate and former world champion Lewis Hamilton as they both set out on a flying lap. After the session, Mercedes cleared up the situation as a miscommunication, and the team still came away from Spain with both drivers on the podium.
Image via Sky Sports
Image via Sky Sports
Canada 2023
George Russell found himself running P4 in the early stages of the Canadian Grand Prix. His promising race position ended abruptly on lap 12 when he took too much kerb into turn 8, putting him in a poor position for turn 9 and inevitably ending with Russell hitting the wall. He limped back to the pits with damage and a right-rear puncture, and the team sent him back out, however Russell had to retire the car before the end of the race due to the damage.
George Russell's time in Formula 1 has been punctuated by unfortunate crashes and incidents that have raised concerns about his position. Whilst these setbacks are coming more often at present, it is hoped he will dial into his previously demonstrated talent and showcase his true potential.
