Mercedes 'proud' of Russell's display of character at Silverstone

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff praised George Russell for the character he showed in the aftermath of the massive start-line crash that occurred at Silverstone.

As drivers jockeyed for positions on the run down to the first corner in last Sunday's British Grand Prix, Russell was touched by Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri which pitched the Mercedes into the Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu.

The Chinese drivers' car was immediately overturned and slid at full speed into the gravel trap where it tuned over once again and jumped the tyre barrier before its trajectory was halted by the catch-fencing.

As the red flags were brandished, Russell coasted to the edge of the corner and immediately exited his cockpit to run over to check on Zhou, whose car was wedged between the barrier and the catch-fencing, locking in its unfortunate driver for more several minutes.

The commotion ended with a lot of shattered carbon fibre and material damage, but fortunately with no physical injuries for those involved.

Taking stock of Mercedes' weekend at Silverstone, Wolff highlighted Russell's actions and character.

"It was a spectacular weekend at Silverstone, with amazing support and a more competitive showing," said the Mercedes boss.

"That reflects all the hard work to bring upgrades to the car – and a circuit that played to the strengths of our current package.

"Lewis drove a brilliant race with some epic battles. A better result would have been possible if things had played out differently.

"George certainly had the pace to make up ground from P8. It was a shame he couldn't race, but we're proud of the character he showed after the incident."

• Read also: Russell says F1 needs solution to avoid tyre barrier gap

On the sporting front, for the first time this season, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton were in the mix for a race win, with the Briton fighting on equal terms with his Red Bull and Ferrari rivals although the seven-time world champion ultimately had to make content with a spot on the podium.

However, past performances are no guarantee of future results, especially in Austria where Mercedes has often struggled in recent years.

But Wolff is nevertheless hopeful of the Brackley squad upholding its momentum at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.

"I'm looking forward to being back in Austria: it's my home race and a location full of good memories," he added.

"It's a very different track to Silverstone and one that hasn't always suited us in the past, but the cars have changed drastically since we were last in Spielberg.

"We'll keep our heads down, prepare the best we can and hopefully we can build momentum from Silverstone."

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