George Russell back in contention with victory and DHL Fastest Lap

A lackluster start to the season followed by a triple-header filled with disappointment is perhaps the best way of summing up how things have gone so far for Mercedes. Canada, however, was different. George Russell, who had previously shown himself to be a confident performer but with only a handful of podium finishes to his name, was able to demonstrate for the first time in a surprisingly strong car that he is one of the year’s best drivers as he swept the board with pole, victory, and the DHL Fastest Lap.

For a long time, Russell and Mercedes had nursed their doubts. Like its predecessor, the W16 does not normally perform well when track temperatures are high. Even after taking pole, Russell was still feeling anxious prior to the race which was expected to be ten degrees hotter.

But his fears were unfounded. Despite track temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius, the Mercedes performed really well in Canada. Russell maintained his lead at the start and controlled the race from the front despite coming under some pressure from behind over the final rounds for brief spells of time. Led by Max Verstappen, the pack behind tried to increase the pressure over the final 20 laps or so.

Fortunately for Russell, he still had something in reserve as he upped the tempo once again just before the finish. In doing so, he set the DHL Fastest Lap on lap 63 and would easily have secured victory with this final push before a safety car period put paid to the remaining danger.

Nevertheless, such an excellent result despite the heat still surprised Russell, who told us: “It’s a very smooth tarmac here in Canada. There are quite low-speed corners, so the tires aren’t under much stress. I think we expected a bit more tire overheating considering the track temperature, but we’re under no illusions that this really suited the strengths of our car the same way as it did last year. But for the majority of the circuits, we know it’s a bit of a challenge.”