George Russell said he was frustrated by the McLaren drivers’ tactics in the sprint race at Losail, which ended his hopes of challenging to win.
Lando Norris held the lead from pole position while Norris was passed by the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri at the start. Over much of the 19-lap race, McLaren urged Norris to constrain his pace to ensure Piastri remained within a second of him and could therefore use his DRS.
Despite this, Russell was able to attack Piastri on several occasions. However he wasn’t able to overtake the McLaren and finished third.
Norris then allowed Piastri to overtake him to win, repaying him for their position swap in the sprint race at Interlagos. Russell admitted he didn’t like seeing team orders like these in F1.
“It is frustrating when you have team orders in front of you and it’s two against one,” he said after the race.
“We know in this sport you can’t overtake without DRS and I think Lando had a lot of pace in hand, I had a lot of pace in hand, but they drove very well together as a team. It’s not how I want to see F1. If I’m a fan at home, that’s not what I want to see, because I want a battle on-track. I want the best man to win. And of course, the ending as well.”
McLaren’s one-two finish means they can clinch the constructors’ championship in tomorrow’s grand prix. “You’ve got to respect them for chasing their goal, which is to win the constructors’,” Russell admitted.
“If Lando went into the distance, I’m very confident I would have passed Piastri and that’s one less point for them. So frustration in the moment, but I’ll take the positives, the car was quick.”
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2024 Qatar Grand Prix
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