George Russell left amused after Verstappen, Hamilton spark chaos in untelevised team radio
George Russell and Max Verstappen get on famously
Untelevised team radio footage from the Mexican Grand Prix has revealed the moment Mercedes driver George Russell was left amused by the drama sparked by an incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen and Hamilton were at the centre of one of the most controversial moments of the Mexican Grand Prix last Sunday when the Red Bull driver launched a move on the Ferrari man on Lap 6.
George Russell amused by Mexican GP chaos after Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton flashpoint
After touching wheels at Turn 1, Verstappen cut across the grass at Turn 2 having been left with no room on the outside of the right hander and rejoined ahead of Hamilton.
In his attempt to repass the Red Bull at Turn 4, Hamilton locked up and skirted across the grass himself, rejoining significantly ahead of Verstappen.
Hamilton was handed a 10-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage having failed to return to the place to Verstappen, who had fallen behind the Haas of Oliver Bearman in the process.
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Russell was running directly behind Hamilton and Verstappen in fifth when the incident began, but found himself dropping two positions in quick succession to leave him seventh.
The Mercedes driver took to the run-off area while trying to pass Verstappen on the exit of Turn 5, with Bearman taking the opportunity to nip past.
Russell lost a further place to his Mercedes teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, moments later having been positioned on the outside of the tight Turn 6 hairpin.
The episode left Russell initially lost for words over team radio, with the British racer likening his younger rivals to amateur go-kart racers.
Russell was heard saying: “Argh! Haha! Ha!”
His race engineer, Marcus Dudley, replied: “I’m with you, I’m with you. I know.”
Russell then added: “These kids are a f**king joke. Reminds me of my first-ever go-kart race.”
Russell later had a heated exchange with Dudley when he was warned of “sky high” rear-tyre temperatures while trailing in Antonelli’s wake, with the McLaren of Oscar Piastri close behind him at that stage of the race.
In a message transmitted via the international television broadcast, an angry Russell said: “Marcus, I’ve got a f***ing car up my a**e, OK?
“A car much quicker than ours. I’m trying to hold position. I’ve got much more pace than Kimi here and we can fight for a podium.
“I’m happy to give the position back if I don’t achieve it, but my tyres are just getting f***ed sat here.”
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Mercedes eventually agreed to Russell’s requests to swap positions with Antonelli, with the former returning the position in the closing stages having been unable to threaten the cars ahead.
Antonelli and Russell eventually crossed the line in sixth and seventh place respectively with Mercedes dropping to third – a point behind Ferrari – in the constructors’ championship with four rounds remaining.
Asked about his frustration over team radio after the race, Russell told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “Marcus, ultimately, is conveying a message.
“He’s not the one in that position making the decisions, so we need to sit down and talk as a team.
“Ultimately, I’m not battling Kimi in a championship or [in] a fight.
“We’re battling Ferrari and Red Bull for the championship and ultimately, we finished P6 and P7 today. It could have worked out different.”
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock
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