George Russell is defending his attempted overtaking of Sergio Perez at the French Grand Prix, where the two collided and Perez cut the corner. Russell insists it was 'his corner' according to the rule and remains of the opinion that the Mexican should have given up his position.
Russell defends overtaking attempt on Perez
Russell was outraged that Perez was allowed to hold his position after cutting the corner and complained on the radio. The Briton was so upset by the incident that team principal Toto Wolff felt compelled to intervene to calm his driver down.
Even after the race, which he still managed to finish with a podium position, Russell expressed his frustration about the moment. "I was pretty disappointed not to be able to keep that position," Russell said according to The Race. "I was down the inside I had my front wheels in front of his rear wheels. And to the letter of the law, it was my corner."
"He squeezed me a bit onto the kerb. He went wide and kept his position," Russell added. The incident was investigated by the stewards, who decided not to take any action. It was reported to Mercedes that Russell was not in front and therefore had no right to Perez's position.
Its so funny to read the comments. If everybody would just stick with commenting on what the article is actually about it would save a lot of headache and far of topic comments. I have no doubt that everyone here is a F1 fan so let's start respecting everyone's opinion and answer accordingly.
Russell is wrong.
But i like how people still manage to bring hamilton in every single comment. Its so nice that 44 has won so much that he doest even need to win or talk no more for u guys to mention him in a way.
Why do all the fan boys on here have to make it about Max and Lewis? This is about Russell who I used to admire but is turning into a bit of a tool.
Except for AliceKrantz, she's working online and we know what that means!
It's his choice but to me insisting on this matter is a lot worse than the initial reaction. I thought he would see things in a different way once he cools down, but instead he chooses to insist he is right. Ok....
@Cristi +652625-07-2022 19:20
Is was the same with Bottas last year, he only backed down and apologized when Wolf intefered and than started a cry about ''part of the Mercedes family''.
But his problem is he is a talented driver no question but in thinks like this he just goes on and on about how is right even is he is wrong.
That a big difference with other drivers.
Totally agree. It's the doubling down. The lack of humility and honesty that gets me. Hard to learn if you don't admit to mistakes.
I actually dont mind he messed up here at least he tried a pass and I got some entertainment from it. If it was Bottas he'd just sit behind.
My two cents...he looked out of control and didnt leave Perez any space on the outside, basically he used Perez to slow the car down.
What is it with Mercedes drivers and not accepting stewards decisions based on the rules Mercedes previously agreed on? Maybe Wolf needs to suggest one of ''his'' lawyers works for the Fia?(again)
If your only defence to Russell is starting your text "But Max...", then I'm sorry to say, you're already lost with your argument.
All who defend Russell, that's about 3 people here: koolaid, stateofplay and watty, as much as I saw. Just go watch the incident again. I'm sure you're not blind. Whatever overtake, you must leave room for other car. Russell did not. If he would have not pushed Perez off the track, everything would have been okey. There was no 1 car width of room for Perez. Simple as that.
The only thing I found wrong with that scenario was George bitching on the radio apart from that there was nothing wrong with it, hence no penalty. As you max fans like to say it was right on the limit. What do you think of checo divebombing charles ( off track ) at luffield and pushing him off track to keep his position? And not receiving a penalty.
Your all post is full of mistakes. First of all I've not said anywhere that somebody should get a penalty. I said you defending Russell is wrong, he didn't own the corner and that's about it and he left Perez no room. 2 mistakes from Russell in that corner.
Your 2nd mistake is thinking world is black adn white and there is only Lewis and Max fans. No, there are 18 more drivers. try again think, which driver I support ;)
No you never said anything about a penalty but that hasn't stopped all the usual max trolls spouting absolute bs about reckless driving and he deserved a penalty etc etc. I don't think George done anything wrong that's my opinion. I've also stated on here many times that I'm not a ham fan but I get it thrown at me at every opportunity. So what do you think about checo at Silverstone?
Well Russell did wrong, by not leaving Checo enough space. He did it, cause he thought, he owned the corner, which he did not. He got his nose next to Checos car when they were already taking the corner. So a move too late and then pushing Checo off track. If Checo would have tried to stay on track, there would have been a contact. And worse case scanerio Checo DNF and Russell lost front wing and 5sec penalty, So Checo did the right thing escaping the contact, he had more to lose.
I don't remember what Checo did in Silverstone and don't care either, I trust the stewards. Mostly they do right decisions. Last time I disagreed was Monza last year, but it was a close call, so I may have been wrong there.
At the right speed maybe. In this case they were not turming in on sync speeds but Russel could not make the corner safe for both cars.
So now racimg means yhat if you have oponent front axel on your rear axel you should go out of the track and let thr car BEHIND you yo pass? This is not racing.
Ina few years we will have flahlights and turning signals?
It was never Georges corner. Just like it wasnt his corner in Austria when he took Perez out last time too. He has a lot of skill but overtaking needs a little work. Though that seems to be a Merc issue in general. Their other driver has a tendancy to do the same when he reckons its his corner whilst still behind.
Perez was trying to overtake George in Austria around the outside, Marko told both his drivers not to try any pass at that corner. It was always going to end in tears. And last year Max missed his braking point by 50 yards on multiple occasions to give the appearance he was ahead at the corner. But even he never made the apex of the turn and forced lewis off the track.
Even Toto thinks it wasn't George's corner!! Would George have been happier if Checo had kept his line and taken them both out? Toto for once stayed calm and told George to keep his head down and race.
It was not Russell corner he just tee boned Perez as he was in front on the racing line Russell was not ahead at any point into that corner George needs to calm down as he’s sounding more like Hamilton that whinger that doesn’t stop whining when not winning
I think George is wrong here. He is a brilliant driver and the most talented of this new generation but please don't be like Max.
I was hoping that once Lewis retired all the negativity in F1 would go with him.
Got that wrong.
George Hamilton is here.
Wow, now I know why Mercedes chose him. He's as big an A-Hole as the others. He fits right in.
What's next? I honked my horn and he wouldn't pull over, so I shot him for disrespectin' me
It was the exact move Max used over and over last year. Divebomb and yell to the mountain tops it was my corner.
no it wasnt, max was always in front at the apex. big difference
he was in front at the apex and then beyond with no way to make the true corner nor apex. he dive bombed into the corner through the apex and out the other side pushing lewis off the track. then yelling it was his corner. the exact move George pulled on Perez.
George wasn't in front at the apex. Not even remotely close. There's no comparison here
The preferred line? Rarely a driver follows the preffered line when overtaking or when being overtaken. That's whant happens when you have 2 cars side by side.
He may have been alongside at the apex while he was sliding through it coming out the other side clear off the preferred line.
It's true that Max was very agressive last year but he never bombed like this from behind the rival car. He was always at least fully alongside at the apex.
i am saying George is wrong to believe it was his corner. Dive bombing along side and then pushing a driver off the apex/turn is not correct. George never made the true apex either. Last year this happened over and over and was declared an ok move.
I get your point and Max was indeed very agressive the last 4 races last year, which he needed to be to have any chance vs that Merc! So I see what you mean, but it isna big difference that Max was indeed always completely alongside or even in front with his front tires, compared to Russell who was nowhere close!
What I'm missing on here is the Brits condemning George like they did Max last year, because George's move was more desperate! Somehow I think they will remain quiet...?
i am a Merc supporter but in no way do i think the move George made was good. It takes no talent to play chicken with another driver. Yes, you can get along side anyone if you miss your braking point by 50 yards.
And if that is true? It still doesn’t make it right! Regardless of what side you are on!
Been saying since last year:
George will not only be the next main driver but also the next MB diva.
This is the proof.
(his own team vouched against it but still someone else's fault. damn it sounds familiar. wish I could just pinpoint from where)
??thats so true with that russell a nother cry baby of merc it my corner .merc teach there drivers well to hit cars out the way
George done absolutely nothing wrong and there was NO contact at all, he just done a trademark RB move and In the end it didn't really matter as he smoked checo after the vsc ? amazing race George ?? it's all just sour grapes from the usual max fan trolls.
Really? Lol what part of my comment did I talk about max??
And it's stand TO attention not on ?
Good 1 Sparky. Guess you can speak French fluently then. But I think I made my point. You understood me 100%
"he just done a trademark RB move" is that the part you thought I was talking about max ?? ?
I love the hypocrisy you always gladly display ?
- A trademark RB move? You must mean Daniel that loved to divebomb his way through the field. Max however, I admit he divebombed a bit in the last 4 races last year (Brazil, SA mostly), but that does not make it his signature move at all.
- Now, the most important thing. Some of you Lewis fanboys kept critizising Max for his moves in Brazil and SA, where he indeed braked very late and divebombed a bit to the inside of the corner and then forcing Lewis off. This is EXACTLY what George did here. I think the move was fine to try, but claiming that the corner was his and that Perez should have given the position back was ludacris... So, please treat Russell the same as you did Max last season! Saying this is okay and still trying to call Max dirty makes you lose all credibility.
And then the most annoying thing. Even though I didnt mind George trying this move, but his ongoing complaining afterwards, up to the point that even Toto had to intervene was very cringe! George is very quickly becoming an entitled arrogant and unlikable character and that is something he really must watch out for!
Lewis is catching him in the quali and points standings and he is just dealing with it in the wrong way!
Danny Ric didn't divebomb anybody he was known for being the last of the late breakers he never once went beyond the limit and forced the other drivers to back out or crash, that's the difference between max and Danny, Danny done it respectfully he never used his car like as a weapon. I agree with you about George ranting on the radio I didn't like it one bit but I put that down to the pressure of being in a Merc and now having the chance of a pos win or constant podiums but hopefully he changes that attitude because he's good enough without all of that bs.
Max set the standard for overtakes last year, if he can win* a title with they moves why can't others do it now? I know the rules were changed but there was nothing wrong with the move and there was no contact either but it hasn't stopped all of the normal max trolls spouting nonesense about reckless driving and he should've got a pen, which to me is the highest level of hypocrisy.
It's not about RB, it's about Russel and Mercedes, stop trying to change the subject. What are you a party hack or something?
"I was down the inside I had my front wheels in front of his rear wheels. And to the letter of the law, it was my corner."
This is the main problem. What young generations believe is that it is enough to put your front wheels in front of the rear wheels of the vehicle you are passing, and that means you have an advantage, how unrealistic it was. He urgently needs someone to explain how things are, because he will soon become very irritating. It is still a little green and needs to be put on the ground.
He doesn't seem to understand that being alongside the other car before the apex means that the other driver is required to give sufficient room to an overtaking car. Perez gave enough room. 63 is demanding the entire track. That's just dumb. It was never his corner. FIAmg just doesn't have the independence to penalise any Merc driver.
It has always been a rule that the car must be half a car in front and then have the right of way in the corner. I don't have a problem if he decided to attack like this, let him try, he has the right, and we can also call it a more aggressive approach, even if he was too naive. But I have a problem, his constant whining on the radio. He would like to get something by force and unfairly. Shut up and drive. Better think about Lewis beating you in the last few races.
But you don't have a problem with checo whining after he got his a*s handed him after the vsc?? Typical RB fan.
I agree, I didn't like it at all and I somehow doubt he is still going on about it. That would've been put to bed in the debrief, it's gpblog that's still going on about it.
Reckless driving ??
It's hard racing if it's max but it's reckless if it's George ??
What does this have to do with Checo? This article is about 63's reckless driving. Take your frustrations elsewhere
You see Watty, is it normal for you that the young driver, instead of concentrating on driving, cries that he is damaged, and that Toto even went to call him, because he too had enough after so many repetitions, and it was clear from the plane that he was not in the right one. He doesn't need that. Checo rebelled because he was right again, and he was suffocating mostly because of the error in the system. He learned the knowledge, surely he won't again make that mistake ever again.
With your comment, you also show that you are a typical MB fan.
Enjoy the season.
The fact that George is still going on about the incident is what’s bothering me! He got P3, good for him, and now he’s annoying me and everyone else who isn’t a Merc Fan!
Good never rubs off on bad. It’s always the other way around. George is fitting in nicely to the perpetual victim’s mentality Mercedes has perfected.
Too bad.
And THAT’s exactly the reason, I’ve lost any hope of cheering for Merc! They get all the bias of the British media and they have this sense of entitlement that’s now rubbing off on Russell!
Russell is wrong on this one. I dont understand, why is he insisting on it??? You can clearly see in the slow-mos that he was always behind in that corner, and if Perez didnt take avoiding action, then they would crash!!! Is this the Mercedes culture that is taking a toll on him? I hope not! Not another driver from GB :(
yup. MB bagged themselves another diva. saw this coming since last year.
Now these two are the "Kardashians of F1"
More like assimilating everyone into the toxic Mercedes cultural environment. I hope its not a permanent phenomenon. Like Lando, Russell was often joking and joyful in the Williams. He is more serious this season, perhaps because he is sniffing his first win
Hahaha the Kardashians of F1...I like that! It suits Lewis and George ?
They borrowed the dive-bomb culture from MV. Didn't see you complaining when he was doing it every race
This Russell character seems to actually have lost his marbles, what a clown. Every race one or more incidents with the MB drivers being the aggressors, shameful.
Funny, almost all drivers were saying that about MV for the prior seasons as he dive-bombed anyone he could find but you were quiet as a little mouse I'm sure, probably cheering him on in your Red Bull onesie.
It's also about the complete inconsistency of views. For if it suits, against if it doesn't. Your response says it all, just went straight over your head. Hilarious.
You are wrong and you're being very childish. Didn't accuse you of making any comments, I accused you of silence over MV dive-bombing and hence inconsistency in criticizing GR for dive-bombing. You're having a basic comprehension issue here. It's not that complicated but apparently it is for you.
Not German. Wrong again. Your problem is you think you're right about many things and you're not. As for your comment about the Germans I'll leave that to the moderators.
If you read back I said when it came to MV's dive-bombing you were as quiet as a mouse. Now, let's take this slowly.... how is that accusing you of saying something? Err, duh, hmmm. You seem to be ranting about something that didn't actually happen.... see the issue yet?
I don't accuse people of things they did not say or post, you do that. You are hiding behind a badly chosen nickname identifying you as a German which explains your obsession. Germans and truth, now there is a conundrum.
A subject I'm certain you are very familiar with. You'll condemn one but not the other precisely because you are one. The fact that I'm pointing this out is nothing more than that. You can kick and scream and w**k in frustration but that's the truth.
Okay so you pulled these statements out of your arse as I said. What an absolute w@nker you are.
I can't be assed looking - you could simply clear it up here and now by condemning MV's dive-bombing, by calling him a clown and suggesting that he had lost his marbles too..... oh hold on...
Yes that is your point of view, but show me one comment of mine where I was actually defending a dive bombing action of Verstappen because I have never done so. Good luck with that.
And what I'm saying is your point of view is inconsistent. Ok for MV, not ok for GR.
Lol, he already learned his teammate's signature move.
And act's as him as well. Never admit you are wrong Russel.
If the stewards had any balls, they would have given George a penalty. Had Checo not swerved, there would have been major contact. So once again, the stewards do NOT rule based on the action rather than the consequences as they often claim. Because if there was major contact, George would likely have gotten a penalty.
Yep, fully agree. Anyone else (from any other team) would has been issued 5s.
Oh you mean like MV's driving style for the prior 3 seasons? You guys don't have real opinions about racing you just change your stance to support your boys. Sad to observe.
If thats the letter of the law then we will see a lot more divebombing.
If I was Perez I wouldve done exactly the same though, He couldve just kept going instead of evading Russel
It's the third consecutive race he hit another driver off the track now.
He is taking his anger and frustration (about being hobbled to make Lewis look better) out on other drivers. Desperately wants to do well. but can only do a placement behind Lewis. Put yourself in his shoes and the mechanics and engineers on his side of the garage. They cant say anything or do anything about it. All because of Toto's failed GOAT marketing campaign.
Perez went wide to take the corner like he did every lap. There was no damn way that yesterdays corner belonged to Russell. So 2 weeks ago it was Perez's fault and the yesterday was also Perez's fault. What is wrong with Russell. I am starting to really dislike Russell
What the heck is wrong with this guy? Hits Checo after driving like a maniac, even his own team tells him it wasn't his corner and yet, he insists that everyone is wrong and he is right? Jeez
Just following his Master's footsteps. He fits in to merc culture perfectly.
His excuse both times - "He turned in on me, man"?. Now where have I heard that line before ?.
What was Perez supposed to do on both occasions, go straight and crash himself out to make way for him or what?♂️. Perez had to turn in to navigate the corner.
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