P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Russell: Hamilton battle ‘hard but fair’ despite team radio tension
Mercedes had a strong qualifying session with both cars starting on the fourth row of the grid. However, there was an incident between Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez on the opening lap that nearly cost Hamilton his position. Russell and Hamilton had a close battle in the early stages of the race, with Russell briefly overtaking Hamilton but Hamilton reclaiming the position with a great move. The battle continued when Hamilton ran off-track, allowing Russell to challenge him, but Hamilton managed to hold his position. Russell saw it as good hard racing and was happy with his performance. Despite a one-stop strategy, Russell couldn’t hold onto his position and ultimately finished in fifth place. There was a controversial team order for Russell to let Hamilton pass, but he was disappointed as it didn’t work out in their favor. Russell’s main goal is to secure second place in the constructor’s championship for Mercedes.
Source: Motorsport Week
