George Russell was completely devoid of luck in the Australian Grand Prix as his race ended early with an engine failure which started a blaze on his Mercedes.
The Brit had started the race on the front row after an excellent qualifying in Melbourne. He even overtook Max Verstappen going into the first corner to take the lead of the race and give Mercedes fans hope of a famous victory amid all their struggles.
But it wasn't long before his afternoon began to go downhill. He pitted under a safety car just seconds before a red flag gave everyone else a free tyre change, meaning he had sacrificed the lead for no reason and was instead running in seventh.
Any plans of a fightback were scuppered when Russell pulled over at the side of the track. He told his team over the radio that it felt like an engine problem, and he had to be quick to get out of his car as flames came out of the back of his W14.
He was the third driver to retire from the race in an action-packed start at Albert Park. It all began on the third corner of the first lap, when Charles Leclerc span off the track and beached his Ferrari in the gravel, ending his race after just a few seconds.
The safety car was only out for a couple of laps on that occasion, but it wasn't long before Bernd Maylander was driving it back out of the pit lane when Alex Albon crashed. Soon after, the race was red flagged as there was too much gravel left on the track which needed to be swept away.
Russell had just pitted for fresh tyres, dropping him from first place to seventh. Everyone else could now change their tyres in the pit lane without losing any positions, leaving the Brit frustrated that his plan had been ruined.
He began the task of moving back forwards but had his race ended once and for all by that engine issue. Just to rub it in for Mercedes, their dream of winning in Melbourne began to look even less likely when Verstappen re-took the lead from Lewis Hamilton and sped off into the distance.
