George Russell told he can ‘stay out’ of F1 races after ‘ridiculous’ team radio at Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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George Russell was on course to win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix for a second time last weekend. But after an unfortunate red flag, he only managed to finish fourth.

While teammate Lewis Hamilton toiled with his Mercedes and suffered a Q1 elimination, Russell qualified on the front row in the treacherous conditions. He then slipped past Lando Norris into the first corner.

Norris stayed close to Russell and put him under pressure but he wasn’t able to make a move. That meant that the 2022 victor held the lead until lap 29, when the two drivers pitted for fresh tyres.

They did so amid worsening rain, and soon after, Williams driver Franco Colapinto crashed under safety-car conditions. That gave a free pit stop to the cars ahead.

Norris and Russell exchanged places after the race restarted, but the Mercedes star wasn’t able to catch Pierre Gasly for the final podium place. In the context of his team’s season, fourth was a good result, but this was still a missed opportunity.

Hans-Joachim Stuck slams George Russell for complaining about Brazilian Grand Prix conditions

Just before Russell pitted, he demanded that the race be red-flagged. Shortly before Colapinto’s race-ending accident, he warned that ‘there is [sic] going to be big crashes’.

Speaking to Eurosport, former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck condemned Russell for his complaints. He told him to simply ‘take his foot off the gas’ if he felt he had no grip.

While he acknowledges that safety is ‘paramount’, he pointed out that race control and safety car driver Bernd Maylander deemed the conditions raceable. He reminded Russell that any driver who feels uncomfortable isn’t obliged to race.

“That’s ridiculous,” Stuck said. “And even if – are they racing drivers or not? Do they only drive in perfect conditions? Then you just have to take your foot off the gas and master the situation.

“If I don’t take my foot off the gas, I’ll fly off. Racing drivers of this calibre have to deal with that. This isn’t a drive down Kurfurstendamm [a famous street in Berlin] to drink coffee. If Bernd Maylander says it’s possible, then we have to drive. Absolutely.

“On the one hand, safety is of course paramount, but on the other hand, the best racing drivers in the world are in the car. And if it’s slippery in one place, you just have to take your foot off the gas.

“Anyone who still wants to drive after that can drive. And anyone who doesn’t want to can stay out.”

Jolyon Palmer thinks George Russell will be ‘hurt personally’ after what happened in Brazil

In Russell’s defence, multiple drivers agreed with his assessment. Onboard footage demonstrates that visibility was virtually non-existent at times.

Oliver Bearman was ‘trying not to die’ and urged his Haas team to ‘talk to the FIA‘. By the time the race resumed after the red flag, the rain had reduced, though drivers still struggled to stay on track.

Russell fronts the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and so he’ll canvas the opinions of his peers after the race. He may then approach the FIA if many of them are unhappy with how the race was handled.

For the first time since the 2019 Japanese GP, qualifying had to be held on Sunday morning. The teams have managed to complete every wet race since the 2022 event at Suzuka, which only just passed half distance.

For Russell, a secondary concern will be the strategic mishap that cost him victory. Jolyon Palmer says Russell will be ‘hurt personally’ after Mercedes overlooked his concerns about pitting.