“Respect to Him”: George Russell Sings Praise for Charles Leclerc After Snatching $131M From Ferrari

For someone who secured only his second podium of 2023, George Russell was extremely chipper after the Abu Dhabi GP. After a tough season in which Mercedes started on the wrong foot, Russell sealed it with a P3. But that wasn’t the only thing he helped seal. Since the summer break, Mercedes had been battling Ferrari for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship. At the Yas Marina Circuit, it all came down to the wire. The fate of Mercedes and Ferrari lay in the hands of George Russell and Charles Leclerc. And unlike 2021, things worked in Mercedes’ favor.

Throughout the race, the scales kept swinging from being in favor of one team to the other. In the end, though, Russell and Mercedes took home P2 and a huge chunk of prize money. But that didn’t stop the young Brit from praising the Ferrari driver he was fighting.

Charles Leclerc didn’t employ dirty tactics against George Russell

Coming into the Abu Dhabi GP, Ferrari was four points adrift of Mercedes in P2. All the Scuderia needed to do was outscore the Brackley outfit by five points. With Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton starting outside the points, all eyes were on Charles Leclerc in P2 and George Russell in P4. A fight that began on Lap 1 only ended after they crossed the line. For most of the race, Leclerc maintained second place, with Russell behind him in P3. With Sainz certain of a non-points-finish in the dying stages of the race and Hamilton in P9, Ferrari was on the back foot. That’s where Red Bull’s Sergio Perez came in.

After a late stop, the Mexican was on a charge, catching Russell with every lap. Had Russell finished in P4, with Hamilton in P9 and Leclerc in P2, Ferrari would’ve taken second place in the championship. Considering there were just around five seconds between Leclerc, Russell, and Perez, the Ferrari driver could’ve easily backed Russell up into Perez, allowing the Mexican to overtake Russell. But Leclerc didn’t do that, and Russell appreciated him for it.

In the post-race interview, Russell expressed what sealing P2 in the championship meant. He said, “It means a huge amount. It’s been a very challenging season. I’ve let the side down a couple of times this year, so pleased to have brought it across the line today.” Ultimately, Perez did cross the line ahead of Russell, but he had a five-second penalty. “It was tight with Checo [Perez] at the end. I thought Charles was going to back me up, but respect to him for keeping it clean.”

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The Constructors’ Championship is crucial to the prize money a team gets at the end of a season. The difference between P2 and P3 is around $11 million, with P2 receiving a whopping $131 million. Considering that, why didn’t Leclerc back Russell up if it meant Ferrari could’ve gotten P2? 

Leclerc played it safe with Russell and Perez

Toward the end of the race, when Leclerc realized Perez had a five-second penalty, the Ferrari driver tried to help Perez. Once he’d gotten past Russell, Leclerc asked his team how far back the Red Bull-Mercedes pair were from him. Considering Perez had a five-second penalty, Leclerc wanted to help the Mexican pull away from Russell by giving him slipstream and DRS. While he did that and let Perez pass him on the last lap, it was a little too late. 

Leclerc crossed the line in P3, with Russell right behind him. Perez dropped back because of his five-second penalty. In the cool-down room, the Monegasque explained why he hadn’t played dirty with Russell earlier. “I didn’t want to back you up because I was worried that… it was a fine line. If I back you up there’s only two-tenths between us. And I could get overtaken by Checo. Now I remember why I didn’t back you up. I just wanted to give him the slipstream and the DRS,” revealed Leclerc.

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Were you happy with how the Abu Dhabi GP played out? Who did you want to secure P2: George Russell and Mercedes or Charles Leclerc and Ferrari?