George Russell admits almost pulling out of Azerbaijan GP with illness before podium
Valtteri Bottas so nearly got the chance to race again for Mercedes as George Russell suffered from a respiratory infection but pushed through to finish the Azerbaijan GP second
George Russell admitted his relief at seeing the chequered flag at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from which he almost withdrew. The Mercedes racer suffered across the Baku weekend with a respiratory infection which, he revealed after Sunday's race, forced him to seriously consider whether or not to take part.
Russell did not appear at the track on Thursday for his usual media duties but was back in the car on Friday for free practice, though he was struggling to speak over the radio. He continued to drive for the rest of the weekend, qualifying fifth before an excellent drive to finish second behind race winner Max Verstappen.
It was only after the Grand Prix that he appeared for the media for the first time all weekend. His condition had improved by that point, though he admitted how difficult it had been to push on, instead of stepping aside for reserve driver Valtteri Bottas.
"I was pretty glad when I saw the chequered flag, to be honest," said Russell. "I was fortunate – I felt much better today than I felt on Friday and Saturday. Fortunately, it was Baku.
"Even though it is one of the toughest circuits, mentally and physically it is maybe one of the easiest. Had it been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably would not have done the race."
Team principal Toto Wolff had allowed the driver to make his own call on his fitness, but said after the race that he had very nearly called up Bottas, who last raced for Mercedes in 2021 – the last season of his five-year spell as team-mate to Lewis Hamilton – to fill in for the Brit.
READ MORE: Oscar Piastri rues 'silly, simple error' as Lando Norris snaps and Max Verstappen shines
Wolff said: "Yeah, [he was] properly poorly. On Friday, it was touch and go. It was nearly Valtteri in the car and it was George himself who said, 'I am not sure I can do it'. Doing a one-and-a-half hour race here in Baku, not putting a single foot wrong. That was a super-merited P2."
There was joy all around at Mercedes as Kimi Antonelli also impressed, bouncing back from what Wolff called an "underwhelming" weekend at the Italian Grand Prix last time out to qualify and finish fourth. "It was a much better race compared to Monza," the teenager said.
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky's new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
"It is a bit disappointing still, because I was really hoping for the podium and I was so close. I tried to get close to Carlos [Sainz] and eventually almost got into DRS, but then with the dirty air, I started to struggle a little bit.
"But still, a decent result, especially for the team. We gained a lot of points on Ferrari, so that is definitely a positive, and now we move forward."