The dust is still settling on the events of last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, which was won by Max Verstappen as he closes in on his third successive Drivers’ Championship title. The Dutchman can wrap up the end-of-season honours at the next opportunity in Qatar but it was Mercedes who had people talking at Suzuka after a tense battle involving Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Russell initially refused to swap positions with Hamilton despite being ordered to do so by Mercedes and pleaded his case via team radio before finally giving in. The incident sparked rumours of a growing rift between the two British drivers, although Russell was quick to play down the idea of tensions brewing behind the scenes.
“There’s nothing to discuss, we’ve got bigger fish to fry which is how to make our car go quicker,” he said. “Both of us lost time to the cars around us. We’re not going to give up position easily to one another.”
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