George Russell watched the Ferrari duel from a distance and is now raving about the intense wheel-to-wheel battle between Hamilton and Leclerc
Mercedes driver George Russell expressed surprise after the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc did not collide during their duel. “To be honest, I was just waiting for the collision—but somehow it didn’t happen,” said Russell.
He raves: “It was one of the most aggressive duels I’ve seen in a long time. If it hadn’t been about winning the race, that battle would have been quite entertaining. But of course, at the time, it was a bit frustrating to watch Andrea Kimi Antonelli pull away up front.”
Hamilton and Leclerc expressed similar enthusiasm to Russell after the race. Hamilton, in particular, seemed impressed: “With the new cars, it’s much easier to follow—much better than in previous years. You can get very close. There isn’t as much slipstream turbulence causing downforce loss anymore.”
The seven-time world champion even used a superlative: “I think this is the best racing I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1. It’s great that everyone can drive so close together. Hopefully it stays that way throughout the year.”
Hamilton was reminded of his early days in motorsport and explained: “It felt like karting—back and forth, back and forth. The car was really easy to position, and sometimes there was just a wafer-thin gap between us, almost like a sheet of paper. “Yet we didn’t make contact. That’s a testament to great drivers and mutual respect.”
Here, however, Hamilton deviates from an earlier statement in which he had explained that there had been a “kiss” between him and Leclerc—their cars had touched lightly once during the duel.
Overall, Hamilton described the new approach to duels as “very, very demanding, because battery usage now plays a decisive role.” “You have to think things through and analyze them more than in any other era of my career,” Hamilton said. “Very meticulous work is required, with great attention to every little detail.”