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“It was frustrating when I had to give my position back to Lewis”- George Russell looks back on battling teammate Lewis Hamilton on track at the Miami GP

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"It was frustrating when I had to give my position back to Lewis"- George Russell looks back on battling teammate Lewis Hamilton on track at the Miami GP

Mercedes teammates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a clean hard battle against one another at the Miami GP on Sunday. 

The Miami GP was always going to be about damage limitation for Russell. After showing promise during FP2 on Friday, Mercedes once again fell of in terms of performance during Qualifying.

Russell managed to qualify P12 for the race, six positions behind teammate Hamilton. However, a brilliant drive and smart strategy saw him continue his streak of finishing top five in every single race this season.

During the race, we saw Russell and Hamilton go up against one another at one point. We’ve rarely seen the two battle it out on track this campaign and it did not disappoint. There were no scraps, instead fans were treated to clean hard wheel to wheel racing between the two Brits. After the race, Russell shared his thoughts on his on-track tussle with the seven time World Champion.

“Yeah we kept it clean,” Russel said. “You know when you’re battling your teammate, you’ve got to make sure you make no silly mistakes. And leave a little bit of extra room.”

“Obviously it was a bit frustrating when I had to give the position back when I went a bit wide. That’s how the game goes.”

Also read: “With the budget cap, they will stop developing”– Ferrari boss confident about beating Red Bull later in season

The track in Miami was not fun to race on, says George Russell

We saw quite a few overtakes during the race yesterday, but some drivers have called the track out for being too tricky. Over the course of the weekend, many complained about the lack of grip and safety measures around the circuit, and Russell followed suit post race.

He says that lack of grip forced a lot of them to spin off track towards the barriers. It’s not something the FIA has commented on yet, but the 23-year old hopes that they make these changes ahead of the next Miami GP.

“It was really difficult racing here,” the former Williams driver continued. “There were so many marbles off line and you put one wheel off and slid towards the barriers. We saw it with Valtteri and a couple of other drivers on the last corner. Anyway P5, and now it’s time to unlock the (better) performance.”

George Russell is currently fourth in the Drivers’ Standings with 59 points to his name.

Also read: “Mick Schumacher probably taken himself off Sebastian Vettel’s Christmas card list”– F1 fans in horror as godson retires four-time world champion with collision

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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