‘Dark day’ taught Russell about F1’s ‘brutal’ side

George Russell has reflected on the “dark day” with Williams that fortified his mentality as a Formula 1 driver.

The Briton was approaching the end of his second year with a team who were continually struggling at the back of the grid.

In the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Russell was looking set to collect his first points for Williams when the race entered a Safety Car period.

Driving immediately behind the Safety Car at the time, Russell lost control and spun off into the wall, blowing his best chance of getting off the mark in what was his 34th F1 outing.

Three races later, Russell did score his first points, when called up by Mercedes to stand in for Lewis Hamilton who was sidelined by illness for the Sakhir Grand Prix – and he probably would have won that race but for a pit-stop blunder by the team and a subsequent puncture.

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For 2022, Russell will be a full-time Mercedes driver after being promoted to the seat Valtteri Bottas has vacated.

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