‘It feels amazing’ – Russell thrilled to make up for previous ‘missed opportunity’ with Singapore victory

George Russell hailed his victory in the Singapore Grand Prix as “amazing”, with the Mercedes driver delighted to make up for the “missed opportunity” of the 2023 race in which he crashed on the last lap.

After taking a surprise pole position in Saturday’s Qualifying, Russell put in a faultless performance on Sunday to convert that grid slot into his second win of the season, crossing the line 5.430s clear of closest challenger Max Verstappen.

Reflecting on his emotions following the race, the Briton acknowledged the loss of a potential podium two years earlier when he hit the barriers on the final lap as he chased down Lando Norris in a fight for P2.

“It feels amazing, especially after what happened a couple of years ago,” Russell said of his win. “That was a bit of a missed opportunity, but we more than made up for it today.

“I’m so grateful for the team, they did an amazing job this whole weekend. We don’t really know where this performance came from, but I’m really happy.”

While he appeared in control throughout Sunday’s Grand Prix, Russell conceded that his weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit had not started smoothly.

“Friday was a really tough day for me for many different reasons, and I wasn’t feeling comfortable,” the 27-year-old said. “But by the time we got to Q3 I felt great in the car, and that’s when it matters.

“Obviously I was a bit nervous at the beginning when I saw Max on the soft [tyre], but that first stint was great from us and we extended the gap.”

Pushed on whether the current balance of Mercedes' car is one that works – and can be carried forward to the next round on the calendar in Austin – Russell responded: “I said it yesterday that if I were to make a list of all the races I thought we could win at this year, this would probably be right at the bottom.

“I think we need to sit down tomorrow and Tuesday to sort of understand why the performance was so good.

“I hope we can carry this through to the rest of the season, but I think realistically… Lando looked incredibly fast, he was within a second of Max the whole race, and around this circuit that’s not easy.

“We’ll take the performance for today, celebrate it, and I won’t think too much about Austin yet.”