George Russell: “You have to find humor” in misfortune as F1 championship slips further away.

Although additional drama did not alter the top three, a late safety car presented Russell with an opportunity to contend for victory. He was ultimately unable to do so, as a power unit failure forced him to retire before the final restart.

“I mean, you’ve almost got to laugh,” Russell told Sky Sports F1 after experiencing his third retirement of the season, marking his second purely technical DNF. “It’s beyond disappointing. It’s just happened so many times this season.

“Of course, it’s a real shame, but… Just keep on fighting. Just keep on pushing forward.

“The podium, of course, seemed very likely. It was a solid race, not an extraordinary race, but solid nonetheless.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes

“Not the first time, so I’m quite accustomed to this feeling and these inquiries, let’s say.”

As he stated, Russell will “keep on fighting,” but he is also conscious of the significant 84-point gap to championship rival Antonelli.

The Briton avoided making any dramatic statements — he won’t declare the title is out of reach — but his outlook remains grim.

“I don’t need to say I think it’s gone or whatever,” he added. “But, of course, it’s exceptionally unlikely, and that’s just the reality.

“I knew that if I wanted to come back, I needed some luck on my side. Unfortunately, luck has not been in my favor. So, a three-point loss today behind Kimi turned into an 18-point loss. Of course, if the situation were reversed, it would have been an 18-point gain.

“So, yes, it’s a real shame. It’s a real shame, but that’s just how it is.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed that the Bahrain GP in Malaysia was one of his “worst experiences” personally, as Red Bull secured its first win of the year against the Silver Arrows and Russell faced that setback.

“I’m incredibly frustrated,” Wolff told Sky. “I’m not in a good place.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes

“We didn’t have the pace we were hoping for before the weekend, so there’s a lot of work to do to recover, which I’m sure we will. Then the race literally went, considering the battle with Lewis [Hamilton] behind, against us. We had such an advantage, one VSC, two safety cars. I mean, you couldn’t be more unlucky. And to make matters worse, a PU failure with just a few laps to go with George, which is detrimental for his championship and not beneficial for our constructor points.”

After commending Antonelli for ‘doing the job,’ the Austrian added: “It’s just this overarching issue, the DNFs, that could cost us significantly in the remaining seven races. A championship can quickly turn against you or for you if you have a DNF, and that’s why this cannot continue.”

Perhaps Wolff was being a bit dramatic there. At Sepang, Mercedes was outscored by Ferrari for the first time since the summer break, and the Scuderia still trails by 151 points in the constructors’ championship. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s gap to Antonelli in the drivers’ standings has grown to 106 points.

When asked how to rally the team after such a result, Wolff replied: “I believe we have a solid action plan. James [Allison, technical director] is fully engaged with his leadership team.

“That boosts my spirits because I know we have an exceptional group of people. Just as we do with HPP, they will sort it out. But that gives me real comfort at the moment to know they are the best and will find a solution. I believe we will come back stronger.”