Russell’s Grosjean
During the Grand Prix at Imola, George Russell made "the worst mistake of his career," which reminds us of the same mistake made by Romain Grosjean. However, the context is quite different.
A helmeted driver, prostrate on the ground, visibly in tears. The image is reminiscent of Mika Hakkinen on a day of driving error in Monza park. But it’s actually George Russell on another Italian circuit, in Imola this time. The reason? The young British driver has just hit the wall under the safety car regime! Such an error is reminiscent of another: Romain Grosjean’s in Baku under the same circumstances.
However, the context and reactions were quite different for the Williams driver. First of all, there’s the context. George Russell is seen as one of the best young talents in the discipline, and his machine does not do him justice. With Sergio Perez looking for a seat, there were even rumors that he might be forced to leave the Grove team. Ultimately, the team reaffirmed during the Imola weekend that he was indeed confirmed for next season.
Then, there is the position held by number 63: at the time of the accident, he was in tenth place, which was a unique opportunity to finally score his first point in F1, a performance he has been striving for almost two seasons now. Last year, this honor went to Robert Kubica during the totally crazy Grand Prix in Hockenheim, even though the Pole had been outperformed almost the entire season. This makes the accident even more costly for the driver and the team.
GEORGE: “I don’t know what to say” ???? ???? ????#ImolaGP ???????? #F1 pic.twitter.com/qefrtEPvCD
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 1, 2020
Finally, there are the reactions. One can remember the famous “Ericsson hit me” from Romain Grosjean, which heightened the mockery the Frenchman had to face. Conversely, George Russell made no excuses, taking full responsibility for the fault and offering his sincerest apologies to his disheartened team. Moreover, Romain Grosjean was one of the first to show his support on social media, reminding everyone that the young driver was doing excellent work and that mistakes were part of the learning process. He was later joined by Lewis Hamilton in a similar spirit.
It is therefore likely that this incident will remain a minor event in his career, especially if he learns from it and moves forward.
