George Russell 'distraught' after disastrous Lewis Hamilton collision

George Russell was left “distraught” after suffering another setback in his pursuit of a maiden F1 title this year.

The Mercedes driver entered the Belgian Grand Prix hoping to challenge for victory and further eat into the deficit to team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the standings.

However, his race ended on the opening lap when he made contact with former team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Russell appeared in an interview with Sky F1 after making his way back to the paddock and was noted by commentator Martin Brundle as being “distraught” as the gap in the standings to Antonelli looks set to grow substantially.

Reflecting on the incident, Russell said: “I got totally swallowed up down the straight, I lost three positions down into Turn 5.

“The incident was a racing incident. Maybe I could have gone a bit wider. Maybe he could have braked a bit more.”

Hamilton was ultimately deemed to blame for the incident and was issued a five-second time penalty.

The clash added to the woes experienced by Russell this weekend, who feels he has been hindered by a mysterious straight-line speed issue.

The Briton insisted the clash wouldn't have happened if his car had been operating without any underlying concerns.

“The incident shouldn't have happened if I had the speed down the straight. Very, very disappointed.

“I appreciate everyone's working hard to solve the problem, but I'm stood here on lap five of the race.

“I felt like I was in a good position to fight for the lead of the turn one, and then suddenly no power, and it's all gone.”