George Russell has revealed that he came dangerously close to missing the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to illness, admitting that on a more physically demanding track, he might not have even been able to finish the race.
Despite his compromised condition, Russell powered through to secure a second-place finish in Baku, a result that highlighted his determination and mental fortitude.
Russell’s health woes began early in the weekend, when Mercedes announced that the Briton would not be fulfilling his media duties on Thursday, casting doubt over his participation.
The Briton was feeling so ill that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff considered calling up reserve driver Valtteri Bottas to step in.
“He was properly poorly,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “On Friday, it was touch and go in the morning. He himself said ‘I’m not sure I can make it’ and then somehow you recover.
“But then overnight it got worse again every single day. I think it was a big push from him to even drive and then to perform like this is mega.”
Russell himself acknowledged the severity of his condition, noting that the Baku circuit’s unique layout –featuring long straights and fewer high-speed corners – likely saved him from having to withdraw.
“Fortunately it was Baku,” he said after the race. “Even though it’s one of the toughest circuits, mentally and physically it’s maybe one of the easiest.
“Today I’m much better. On Friday and Saturday, I was really rough. Had it been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably wouldn’t have done the race.”
By Sunday morning, Russell’s condition had improved enough for him to compete, though he was far from fully recovered.
“So it’s sort of fortunate timing. I haven’t been ill for a couple of years, actually, so it just all sort of hit me at once over these days, but I’m on the up now,” he shared.
The Mercedes charger’s second place finish in Baku marked his best result since his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in June. He attributed the podium to avoiding the mistakes that plagued some of his rivals.
“I don’t think we had a spectacular weekend, to be honest,” he explained. “Obviously Carlos [Sainz] just did an amazing job, and Liam [Lawson] also did a great job yesterday qualifying ahead of us.
“But all of the cars who we ordinarily fight sort of made mistakes or underperformed, and we sort of picked up the pieces.”
“So obviously I’m really happy to finish [second] all things considered. Also, I think the cool temps helped us a little bit. So it’s just good to capitalise on all of those things.”
2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Race results
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