Russell plays down radio vent: 'It’s a tool to release frustration'

Russell finished seventh at Suzuka after attempting an ambitious one-stop strategy. 

It was an eventful race for Russell, who went head-to-head against his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Russell was pushed off by Hamilton at Spoon Curve during the early stages of the race, resulting in a fiery radio message: “Who do we want to fight here, each other or the others?”

The drama didn’t stop there as Mercedes declined Russell’s suggestion to keep Hamilton behind him until the final lap to protect him from the fast-charging Carlos Sainz.

Despite being frustrated, Russell issued a calm response post-race to Sky.

“It was definitely worth a punt,” he said. “The three-stop was closer, or faster, than the one-stop was. 

“But the one-stop gave us a chance to be in P3 if there was a Safety Car or a red flag. 

“Ultimately we did have a shot but the end result was a fair representation.

“When you’re in the car, 48 laps in, giving it everything, trying to make a suboptimal strategy work, that radio is a tool to release frustration. Overtaking was difficult, you saw Piastri with much fresher tyres, he didn’t fly by, it took him two laps and he only just achieved it. It’s easy in hindsight.”

Russell now eighth in the championship, moving behind McLaren’s Lando Norris in the standings.

“My goal now is to achieve P2 for the team in the constructors’. On my personal side, the driver’s is out of the window, it’s been a disaster of a season. So many missed chances,” he added.