Russell expected Canadian GP win: 'It worked out as we thought'

George Russell highlighted two key factors over the course of the weekend that helped him and Mercedes secure victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The British driver's first win of the season never looked in doubt from the moment the five red lights went out, as he held the net race lead for all 70 laps around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Starting from pole position, Russell maintained the lead ahead of rival Max Verstappen into the first corner. While Verstappen was able to stick close behind the Mercedes man in the opening phases, he was never able to threaten for an overtake.

By lap seven of the Grand Prix, Russell was able to carve out over a second's advantage over the Dutchman, which became four seconds at the halfway stage of the race.

The 27-year-old turned up the wick in the closing moments of the race, claiming the fastest lap to complete a weekend hat-trick. It was a relaxed finish to the Grand Prix as it finished behind the Safety Car due to a late clash between McLaren drivers and subsequent crash for Lando Norris.

Back On The Top Step

Speaking after the race, Russell credited his incredible lap during Saturday's qualifying session for his victory on Sunday.

He said: "It's amazing to be back on the top step. Obviously, last time for us was back in Vegas.

"I felt last year was a victory lost [in Canada], and then obviously we got a victory today, probably due to the incredible pole lap yesterday," stated the Mercedes driver.

Russell also praised his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who claimed third place and became the third-youngest driver in the history of Formula 1 to finish on the podium in a main event.

• Read Also: Antonelli reflects on historic podium: 'It was so stressful'

He stated: "So happy to see Kimi on the podium as well. So, amazing day for the team. Thanks to everybody back at the factories, been working so hard to get us back fighting for victories."

Mercedes excels in the cold

Russell believes that another key contributing factor to his incredible victory was the cooler temperatures around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

He continued: "It's a little bit cooler around here. ou know, we saw it last year in Canada. I'd love to get our hopes up, but I think the strength of our car is in these cooler conditions.

"And let's see going into the coming races, but we'll just enjoy it for now," added Russell.

Can Mercedes make it another win in Austria in two weeks' time? Russell expressed a hint of optimism: "Time will tell, time will tell.

"I mean, we won Austria last year, so maybe that's a good omen, but we'll enjoy it for the time being.

"We did have high expectations coming into this weekend, and it worked out as we thought so yeah, good day," concluded Russell.

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