George Russell fumes as Mercedes forced to retire car after starting ...

George Russell was forced to retire from the F1 British Grand Prix due to a water system fault. The Mercedes ace's race came to a cruel end after starting from pole position and on the front row alongside his Silver Arrows teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The 26-year-old found himself outside the top three before his retirement in Lap 34, and he let his frustrations be known, repeatedly swearing. "Probably about 10 laps before I had to retire I saw temperature alarms coming on my steering wheel and yes some sort of water cooling failure, so yeah, I really don't know what to say," Russell said on his DNF. "I mean the car was feeling so good I knew it was gonna be a long race, struggled a bit around the damp patches. Lewis doing a great job at that moment so fingers crossed he can he can bring it home for us as a team. It's been an amazing weekend regardless of what happens here on in, very difficult out there with the rain coming and going but such a rollercoaster week."

Russell hopped out of his Mercedes car and headed through the garage and out the back for a timeout as all team responsibility was shifted onto the shoulders of his teammate Hamilton. The seven-time F1 world champion capitalised on a McLaren pit stop issue with Norris, who looked certain to clinch a second-ever Grand Prix victory. Hamilton took the lead of the British GP and held his nerve to win a record-setting ninth F1 victory at the track and the Silver Arrows' second on the bounce, following on from Russell's win in Austria.

Hamilton was in tears as he delivered an emotional message on the team radio. The 39-year-old thanked the Silver Arrows team, who he will leave at the end of 2024 for Ferrari, as well as the home crowd, who cheered him on as three-time world champion Max Verstappen closed in.

"I love you, Bono," he said. It was Hamilton's first F1 victory since Saudi Arabia in 2021 and he was greeted upon arrival back in the pitlane by his teammate, before flying the British flag above his head, while standing on top of his Mercedes. His dad, Anthony, also lended a shoulder to cry on.

"Yeah, I can't stop crying," Hamilton said. "I think, you know, it's been since 2021. I just, every day getting up, trying to fight, to train, to put my mind to the task, and work as hard as I can with this amazing team.

"And this is my last race here, the British Grand Prix, with this team, so I wanted to win this so much for them, because I love them, I appreciate them so much, all the hard work they've been putting in all of these years. I'm forever grateful to everyone in this team, everyone at Mercedes, and all of our partners, and then otherwise to all our incredible fans. I could see you lap by lap as I was coming around, and there's just no greater feeling as to finish at the front here."

Hamilton continued: "It's so tough, I think, for anyone. But I think the important thing is just how you continue to get up, and you've got to continue to dig deep, even when you feel like you're at the bottom of the barrel.

"I mean, there's definitely been days between 2021 and here where I didn't feel like I was good enough, or whether I was going to get back to where I am today. But the important thing is I had great people around me, continuing to support me and my team every time I tone up, and see them putting in the effort, that really encouraged me to do the same thing.

"And otherwise, my fans, when I see them around the world, they have been so supportive. So a big, big thank you to everybody back at the factory, everyone here, love you guys, and God bless you."