Setting off on the second standing start on the white-walled hard compound tyres, George Russell wasted no time in overtaking Yuki Tsunoda after the Japanese driver had got him on the first lap following the resumption.
Reporting some degradation, vibrations, and helmet issues throughout the race, Russell finished the Japanese Grand Prix in P7, with a massive gap of +45.951 to race leader Max Verstappen.
In the closing laps of the race, Russell tried to close in on the drivers ahead, divebombing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and forcing him off the track. Soon after, Piastri made a mistake when entering the final chicane, enabling Russell to overtake for P7 with DRS.
Reflecting on the battle he had with Piastri, and the dummy move he made into Turn 16, Russell noted “It was a late move from my side. I was down the inside, made contact.
“I think I would have been a little bit more upset had I finished the race behind him in the end. Nothing gained, nothing lost from either.”
Despite the touch, Russell and Piastri were cleared by the stewards following a post-race investigation.
Speaking about the team’s race strategy over the weekend, Russell applauded the team’s decision to start on the hard tyre compound, providing them with the flexibility to opt for either a one-stop or two-stop strategy should the degradation be too high.
“I think it was the right decision to start on the hard because it gave us the flexibility to do the one-stop or the two-stop.
“If you start on the medium after the red flag, you’re committed to the two-stop.”
Despite facing challenges in the first stint, including being stuck behind teammate Lewis Hamilton who was struggling with lot of understeer before letting his teammate through, Russell kept pushing forward.
“It was a bit of a challenging first stint. I was stuck behind Lewis. I think he was struggling a bit with the front, and it would have been good to be in that fight ahead because after that first pit stop, I think we were line on line with Lando and Charles ahead.”
It wasn’t just the on-track battles that kept Russell on his toes. The strategy played by Fernando Alonso added more complexity to the race.
Alonso’s tactics, keeping Piastri in DRS range in order to prevent Russell from overtaking, highlighted the strategic depth and wisdom he has learnt over the years.
When asked if he was aware of Alonso’s moves, Russell joked, “Fernando playing games, that’s new” but noted “It was smart from Fernando, and I expected nothing less. Yeah, that’s part of racing.”
Looking ahead to future races, Russell remains optimistic, whilst acknowledging the competition among the teams behind Red Bull Racing.
“I think when you look how close, you know, there was three different manufacturers with Oscar and Fernando within a couple of seconds. I think the fact is, it’s extremely close between those four teams bar Red Bull and I think it’s going to come down to qualifying.
“I think whoever manages to qualify at the front of that pack will finish at the front of that pack.
“So, you know, we know we have work to do and none of us are content with fighting for second best. We need to keep on pushing.”
