Russell relives his last-lap Singapore crash: "I thought the race was done"

In a year dominated by Max Verstappen, Red Bull, and the RB19, Singapore threw a spanner in the works. The Austrian team could not find any pace whatsoever, and a double-Q2 elimination for both their drivers saw their chances of an unbeaten season flash before their eyes. It gave Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren a chance to fight for the win in what was a superb race. 

The battle for the lead of the race last year came down to the final lap, with the top four cars all separated by less than two seconds. Carlos Sainz in P1 used clever tactics to keep the Mercedes of Russell in P3 and Hamilton in P4 at bay, allowing Lando Norris to stay in DRS range so neither of them could overtake the papaya car. However, on that final lap, a touch of the wall was enough for Russell's suspension to break, causing him to lose control of his car and end up in the wall, squandering a podium finish.

Russell has 'learned' from last year's last-lap heartbreak

Now in 2024, Russell will be looking to avenge last year's result. But speaking in Singapore for this weekend's Grand Prix, the Brit did come out and admit that his concentration dropped, leading to the crash: "If you're not 100% focused every single lap, you're going to get bitten. It was a long old race. It was on the last lap, and I thought the race was done, and right behind Lando, he kissed the wall, I touched the wall, and before I knew it, I was out of the race. But that's how the game goes."

But is that crash still playing on the 26-year-old's minding coming into this weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit? "Not really. It's not really something I'm thinking about. It's part of racing, part of street circuits. It's not going to change my approach one bit about how I go into this weekend. You learn from things like that."

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