P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell was forced to retire from the British Grand Prix following a water system failure.
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin revealed that George Russell retired from the British Grand Prix to avoid a potential grid penalty due to a water system failure. Russell, starting from pole position, was forced to retire on lap 34 while fighting for a podium position. The issue with the W15 was known 10 laps before retirement, related to a leak in the water system causing pressure problems, leading to a preventative retirement to protect the power unit. Despite running strong at times, particularly in dry conditions, Russell would likely have finished at least in fourth place had he not retired, with a shot at a podium if he could have overtaken Max Verstappen. Shovlin acknowledged the difficulty in predicting the final position in the ever-changing conditions but suggested a minimum of P4 could have been achieved.
