George Russell downplays his incident with Oscar Piastri at the Japanese Grand Prix
George Russell expresses that he would have been slightly more disappointed if Oscar Piastri had managed to finish ahead of him, considering that Piastri cut the final chicane to protect his position during their intense duel at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Russell made an attempt to overtake Piastri at Turn 16 with a clever dummy.
The duo made contact side by side in the chicane, resulting in Piastri taking a shortcut to maintain his position.
Russell had to bide his time until the last lap in order to pass the McLaren driver and claim seventh place.
After a detailed post-race review, both drivers were absolved of any wrongdoing by the stewards.
Russell shared his perspective, stating, “I made a late move from my side. I was on the inside and made contact. I believe there was sufficient space for both of us to remain on the track. And clearly, he carried on.”
If I had crossed the finish line behind him, I might have felt slightly more disappointed. Ultimately, there was no progress made and no ground lost.
Mercedes was the sole team among the top 10 to commence the race on the hard tire after the red flag interval.
Mercedes had to deviate from their initial one-stop strategy and opt for a two-stop strategy as it didn’t yield the desired outcome.
Russell, on the other hand, believed that commencing the race on the harder tires was the correct choice.
“He mentioned that starting on the hards was the correct decision. It provided us with the flexibility to choose between a one-stop or a two-stop strategy. If we had started on the mediums after the red flag, we would have been committed to a two-stop strategy.
The first stint was quite challenging. I was following Lewis, who was having some difficulties with the front tires. It would have been great to be in the battle ahead. After the initial pit stop, we found ourselves in line with Lando and Charles ahead.”
Mercedes had another disappointing weekend, finishing in seventh and ninth positions.
However, Russell is optimistic about the upcoming races, believing that the W15 will perform better.
He explained that when you observe the proximity of those three manufacturers, with Oscar and Fernando just a few seconds apart, it becomes evident that the competition is incredibly tight among these four teams. The outcome will ultimately be determined by the qualifying session. The gap between P3 and P8 on the grid was only two tenths of a second. This was also the case in Bahrain.
Whoever manages to secure a front-row position in qualifying will likely finish at the front of the pack. We are aware that there is still work to be done. None of us are satisfied with settling for second place. Fortunately, the upcoming races in China, as well as the following tracks, will be more favorable for us compared to the previous three races.
Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 world champion, expressed his view on Russell’s maneuver as being “bold” and “risky”.
He highlighted that it forced Oscar to react defensively, indicating a sense of desperation from George.
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