F1 pundit Olav Mol feels that George Russell should have been punished for his last-minute lunge on Sergio Perez at the 2022 F1 French GP. The Mercedes driver appeared to have tires that were in much better shape in the latter stages of the race and was challenging Perez for P3. With just 10 laps to go, the Briton committed to a last-gasp lunge on the Red Bull driver that ended up pushing Perez off the track, who later came out ahead of the young Briton.
While George Russell felt Sergio Perez should concede his position to him, Mol thought otherwise and said:
“That was a mistake by Russell that they should have punished him for. There was space on the inside, but he shot through and sent Perez off the track.”
The F1 pundit also highlighted the radio outbursts by George Russell before Toto Wolff intervened and told him to keep his head down and to get Perez back on the track.
George Russell reflects on a strong P3 finish at the 2022 F1 French GP
George Russell, on his part, was happy with his return to the podium at the 2022 F1 French GP. After the race, he said:
“It was a long and tough race. Our pace was strong, but we really struggled with the warm-up of the tyres on the restart and Checo was strong today. I was glad to see the chequered flag and come home P3. We’re making a lot of progress and we really need to improve our qualifying performance as we’re lacking consistency.’’
He added:
“Our race pace today was reasonable and we’re getting closer to the front. We’re doing everything we can to improve the performance of the car and we believe we are on the right path, so we’re excited what the next races can bring for us. We’re making progress and there is still more to come, thanks to everyone back at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth for their hard work and dedication.’’
George Russell now has four podiums to his name this season and, excluding the DNF in Silverstone, he has not finished a race outside the top five.