Brundle’s take on Russell’s race

Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle believes George Russell let emotion take over during the Japanese Grand Prix after a sequence of events left the Mercedes driver increasingly irritated.

Russell had run in second place when he pitted just moments before a safety car was deployed. The caution came after Oliver Bearman crashed at high speed, and the timing handed Kimi Antonelli, who had not yet stopped, the kind of luck drivers usually pretend not to notice and then spend the next 20 laps complaining about.

Antonelli was effectively recycled back into the lead of the race, while Russell found himself on the back foot.

The radio message and the restart

Over team radio, Russell asked whether Antonelli would restart at a previously agreed position so the pair could both benefit. It did not go the way he wanted.

Brundle told Sky F1 that the restart was where things really went sideways for Russell.

“On that restart, George got mugged, like he did in China,” Brundle said.

He added:

“'If there's an agreement, we will do this on a restart' - that's what he was saying. 'Are we going to do that?'”

According to Brundle, Russell never got the answer he wanted and then paid the price once the race resumed.

“He didn't get the answer he wanted, and he ended up, on the restart, clearly without his battery where it needed to be because the Ferraris were all over him once again.”

Brundle’s verdict was blunt.

“George was frustrated and lost his head a little bit. He had that race under control, he probably would have got past Piastri later on.”

What the result means for Russell

Russell finished fourth, ending his run of podium finishes for the season. It was also the first time this year he failed to make the top three.

The result dropped him to second in the drivers’ standings, and Brundle said the April break should be used as a hard reset rather than a chance to replay the same frustration on loop.

“All in all, he needs a reset on that. But he goes to Miami a number of points behind his team-mates,” Brundle said.

He added:

“It's difficult times for George.

“He's got to treat Kimi Antonelli, just as if he's Lewis Hamilton in his peak and a threat for the championship.”