Russell reveals why he managed to complete the Baku weekend despite his illness
Although George Russell managed to clinch his seventh podium finish of the season at last Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver admitted that was "he glad when I saw the chequered flag" after having battled through illness at Baku.
George Russell endured a scrappy opening lap, but he managed to display brilliant pace on his hard tyres, extending his first stint. The Mercedes man, who had missed all media sessions earlier during the weekend due to illness, rejoined the track in second place after his sole pit stop.
His team-mate Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed out on the final step of the podium, having run well all day. The Italian looked in contention for the podium places, but he pitted early which may have been a mistake considering his team-mate’s pace on worn tyres.
Despite his first podium since the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell had a tough weekend behind himself. The Mercedes driver missed media day on Thursday, and was excused from his media duties and the driver briefing on Friday and Saturday in order to best aid his recovery across the weekend in Baku.
Asked how tough it was for him to maintain his focus, the British driver said: "I was pretty glad when I saw the chequered flag, to be honest. I was fortunate — I felt much better today than I felt on Friday and Saturday.
"So yeah, looking forward to a bit of rest now. But as I said, just happy with the result. And for us as a team, trying to beat Ferrari in the Constructors’ was a good step towards that.
Pressed on to reveal how he managed to complete the weekend without missing a single practice session, Russell admitted that it might have been different had the illness hit him at Singapore.
"Well, fortunately, it was Baku. Even though it’s one of the toughest circuits, mentally and physically it’s maybe one of the easiest. So today I’m much better. Friday and Saturday, I was really rough.
"And, you know, had it been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably wouldn’t have done the race. So, yeah, sort of fortunate timing.
"And I haven’t been ill for a couple of years, actually, so it just all sort of hit me at once these days, but I’m on the up now," concluded the Briton.
