Formula 1 can be oh-so-cruel. Just ask George Russell, who drove out of his skin in Singapore only to crash on the final lap and lose a podium.
The Mercedes youngster had been in the hunt for the win all race as he pressured Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, but clipped the wall on the final lap at turn 10 and slammed into the barriers.
“F***! Arghhh. No! No! F***! F***! What the f***,” Russell yelled.
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The 25-year-old fought back tears after the race as he fronted Sky Sports for an interview.
He said: “Yeah, no words to be honest. Such a long race, a physical race. Difficult to keep concentration … I think we were half a car’s length from winning the race had I got past Lando when I had the opportunity and I think we would have been able to get past Carlos.
“And then just that last lap, a millimetre lapse in concentration and game over. So just so sorry to the whole team and yeah.”
“I feel like I let myself down and the team down,” he added. “It’s tough.”
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He told other reporters: “In the moment, you just want to curl up in a ball and be with nobody. It is the most horrendous feeling in the world.
“When you are so physically and mentally drained and miss out on an opportunity for victory, to make such a mistake is truly heartbreaking.
“I’m not just going to brush it off, such a nothing of a mistake. If I spun off or had a lock up and ended in the wall, I’d be feeling very different.
“To clip the wall on the last lap is just a pathetic excuse, so it feels strange.”
He added: “That last lap, I don’t know what the hell happened there … The team did an amazing job, the car was great, the strategy was bang on, we were aggressive, we were bold and it was exciting, it was really exciting out there and it’s heartbreaking to be standing here with no points. It definitely sums up the season I’ve been having this year.”
Team boss Toto Wolff said: “It was of course a shame for George at the end. It was one very small error after a strong weekend but that’s racing – he got it 99.99% right today.”