A loose tyre from George Russell's Mercedes was prevented from rolling down the pit lane by a Ferrari engineer, after the Silver Arrows star came in for a pit stop to repair the damage during the Canadian Grand prix, according to reports.
Russell suffered what proved to be a fatal error for his chances at a podium finish, or otherwise, after he hit the inside kerb at Turns 8-9 causing his W14 to run into the exit wall.
Russell was able to limp the car back to the pit lane despite the damage sustained to his front wing and rear-right wheel. However, a later issue with excessive brake wear would see him record a 'DNF' for the race on lap 53.
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Yet Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport state that as the man from King's Lynn came in to the pits after the crash, one of his tyres was rolling down the pit lane before a Ferrari mechanic 'managed to avoid the worst'.
They state that it was the intervention from the engineer that avoided disaster, preventing the wheel from rolling further down the pit lane and potentially into the way of any oncoming cars.
Speaking after the race, Russell could not hide his disappointment over what he saw as a missed opportunity at the Canadian Grand Prix.
"We did a good job after that to get back into the mix," he said. "Sadly we had an issue with the brakes which forced us to retire the car. They felt okay from my side, but the team can see the data and could see that we couldn't continue.
"I'm disappointed with the race today but there are positives we can take away. The car was quick on a circuit that we weren't expecting to be that competitive and we took the fight to those around us.
"The team is doing a great job and the future is exciting. Let's see what the upcoming races bring."
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