F1 News: Former Driver Puts George Russell In His Place Following Spanish GP - "Drop The Ball Moments"

Former driver David Coulthard has put Mercedes driver George Russell in his place over the collision with Lewis Hamilton during the Spanish GP qualifying session.

In the recent Spanish Grand Prix, former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard voiced his opinions about George Russell's performance. Although Russell secured a respectable third place, Coulthard believes the rising star isn't quite the "finished article" yet.

The Grand Prix wasn't a smooth ride for Russell or his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who ended in second place. The Mercedes duo faced a hiccup during the qualifiers when they unexpectedly made contact, resulting in Russell's early elimination.

Discussing this incident, Coulthard stated to Channel 4:

“George has still got a little chink in his armour. That late movement in qualifying where they had contact, if you remember he’s had some little drop the ball moments. 

“He’s not the complete finished article yet. He’s pretty close. But Lewis Hamilton when he’s back, he’s back.”

Despite the rocky start, Russell managed to rebound in the main race, claiming his first podium of the 2023 campaign. This performance propelled Mercedes to second place in the overall standings. The team had recently introduced upgrades in Monaco and was able to fine-tune their understanding of these improvements on Barcelona's more traditional circuit.

Reflecting on the race and the progress made, Russell was optimistic but acknowledged there was still room for improvement. The British driver explained after the race:

“It was feeling really strong but we know we’ve got more improvements to be mad.

“A little bit cooler today [Sunday], which maybe played into our favour.

“We know our race pace is good but certainly we need to make a big step forward to catch up the Red Bulls and we’re not solely satisfied with P2 and P3.

“Although it’s a good step forward, we’ve got our sights set right at the very top.”