Increasing nervousness
The Suzuka weekend wasn’t particularly positive for the Mercedes. The Brackley team did not replicate the podium in Singapore and what’s more lost a further four points to Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings. This leaves Toto Wolff’s team with a narrow margin of just 20 points over the Maranello team with six Grands Prix remaining in the season. A situation that could lead the two teams to battle it out for second place in the championship behind Red Bull. In recent weeks, however, there also seemed to be one growing tension between the two champions of the Brackley team, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The seven-time world champion himself, at the end of the Suzuka race, remarked that he was much ahead of his partner – who had beaten him in 2022 – in the standings and that he needs better team play to be able to stem the recovery of the Maranello reds.
Overtaking and counter-overtaking
For his part Russell didn’t like some of Hamilton’s aggression on a defensive level in a confrontation that occurred in Suzuka during the first stages of the race. In fact, during the 16th lap, after a slight error, Hamilton widened his elbows towards his sister car, pushing it outside the track limits at Spoon Curve while Russell risked an overtaking. The pair also engaged in a series of overtaking and counter-overtaking in the very first laps, with Hamilton once again emerging victorious from the duel. A certain amount was noticed from the radio teams frustration on Russell’s part who in the final duel against Sainz asked for the support of #44 after having left the way for him. Despite the ‘wake’ guaranteed by Hamilton, however, the position passed into the hands of the Ferrari driver.
Radio communications
Lap 16 – Hamilton ‘pushes out’ Russell at Spoon Curve
Russell: “Who do we want to fight with here? Among us or against others?”.
Lap 28
Russell: “Tell me the pace I have to keep to battle with the guys in front. To fight for a real result.”
Lap 49 – Duel between Mercedes and Sainz
Hamilton: “So we will end up losing both positions.”
Dudley (Eng. Russell): “We will switch positions, watch out for Sainz with the DRS.”
Russell: “Why don’t we reverse them on the last lap? And he keeps the DRS, like last week. Unless he is fighting for a greater achievement?”.
Dudley (Eng. Russell): “This is an order George, let’s switch positions.”
Russell: “Do you want to play as a team player? He pushed me off the track earlier, it’s the least I can do.”
Bonnington: “We need to give DRS to George, let’s help him.”
Hamilton: “I understand, I understand.”
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