George Russell shocked by Ferrari’s clean but fierce fight in the F1 Chinese Grand Prix. George Russell admits he expected a collision between Leclerc and Hamilton during the China GP.

Russell: “I was just waiting for the Leclerc-Hamilton crash, I don’t know how they avoided it”

A fierce but fair battle

Lewis Hamilton described the ongoing position swaps with Charles Leclerc as “just a kiss of contact” and called it an incredible battle. Ultimately, the seven-time world champion came out on top, claiming his first career podium as a Ferrari driver at the Chinese Grand Prix, one of his favorite tracks.

Watching the exclusive Ferrari derby up close was George Russell. While enjoying the show provided by the two Scuderia drivers, he also saw his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli pull away, capitalizing on the intense fight for second place.

George Russell admitted in the post-race press conference that he was expecting a collision between the two Ferraris. “I was just waiting for an incident between the two Ferraris, but for some reason it didn’t happen. I don’t know how they managed to avoid it. It was one of the most aggressive races I’ve ever witnessed and participated in. I would have enjoyed it more if Antonelli hadn’t gradually pulled away, that was frustrating. Passing the Ferraris wasn’t easy,” he said.

Once behind the Ferraris, George Russell was unable to challenge Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes cars struggled in two key moments: at the start and during the restart after the Safety Car. The W17s had difficulty getting the hard-compound tires up to temperature, which hampered their performance for long stretches of the race.

While the tactical battle between the Ferrari teammates provided the highlights of the afternoon, George Russell’s perspective highlights just how close the Maranello duo came to disaster while trying to keep the Silver Arrows at bay.