September 17th 2023.
Lando Norris was relieved to hear the news of George Russell's crash on the last lap of the Singapore Grand Prix. Norris felt for his fellow British Formula One star, but couldn't resist a joke about his demise.
"I hit the wall in the same place, I did the same," Norris said. "So I think he copied me and did it even worse!"
Carlos Sainz took a shock victory in Singapore, ending Max Verstappen and Red Bull's record win-streak. Norris finished second in his McLaren, with Mercedes' Sir Lewis Hamilton completing the podium. Until Russell's crash, it was looking like he was set to take the win.
The 25-year-old had pitted under the virtual safety car and with fresh tyres, he quickly closed the gap back on Sainz and Norris, though he was unable to get past the latter on the narrow track. Despite pushing hard, he clipped the wall ahead of turn 10, breaking his front suspension and sending him straight into the barriers.
Post-race, Norris was thrilled with the result and relieved that he had held off his rival. Hamilton also felt for his teammate, sending this message to his fellow Brit: "Extremely unfortunate for George, we were pushing so hard to catch these guys and our tyres were so hot. But I know he will bounce back. He's been phenomenal all weekend."
An emotional Russell appeared in the media pen in tears after the incident. "No words to be honest," he said. "Such a long, physical race. Difficult to keep concentration. Carlos did a great job backing the pack up, not allowing us to do the alternative strategy. I think we were half a car's length from winning the race had I got past Lando when I had the opportunity, I think we would have been able to get past Carlos. Then just the last lap, a millimetre lapse of concentration and game over."
Despite the heartbreaking end to his Grand Prix, Russell was determined to come back stronger. "It's heart-breaking after such a great weekend. The car has felt great, qualifying was great, the race was great, we were bold with the strategy. I feel like I let myself and the team down. It's tough but we will come back."
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