Untelevised snippets of team radio have revealed the moment George Russell's race engineer launched a cheeky attack on Fernando Alonso in the final moments of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Alonso and Russell have developed something of a rivalry in recent weeks after the Aston Martin driver received a 20-second time penalty for “potentially dangerous driving” in defense of Russell in the closing stages of the Australian Grand Prix. is being built.
Fun match continues between Fernando Alonso and George Russell
Alonso's punishment came despite the two cars not even making contact before Russell's crash at Turn 6 in Melbourne, with the two-time world champion at Suzuka last weekend. He vowed that his racing style would not change due to this penalty.
The pair almost reunited in Japan, with Russell catching Alonso and Oscar Piastri on fresh tires on the final lap to take sixth and seventh place respectively.
As PlanetF1.com's post-race data analysis revealed, Alonso used another defensive trick by deliberately slowing down to give Piastri DRS to help the McLaren driver defend against Russell. did.
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Russell found a way to pass Piastri on the final lap, but was unable to catch Alonso. Alonso's defensive tactics were likened to fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz's DRS trick at the end of the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
After the race, Alonso quipped that the FIA ​​could disqualify him from the 2024 F1 World Championship, saying he had to improve his defense for the second race in a row.
In a roundup of the Japanese GP team's best radio published on F1's official YouTube channel, Russell's engineer teased Alonso's defense, saying the Aston Martin driver “had some issues with the throttle” in the final stages of the race. The moment the joke was made became clear.
“Yes, P7. You did well this afternoon, your pace looked good,” Russell said as he was told at the checkered flag.
“In the end it looked like Alonso had some problems with the throttle. On the last lap he seemed to get it right.”
Russell seemed to laugh at this comment and replied, “Yeah…”
After the race, Russell had a light-hearted response to suggestions that Alonso was playing a game in the closing stages.
“Fernando, are you playing? That's new! That's the smart thing to do on his part, and I didn't expect anything less from him.”
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