Mercedes was right to deny Russell’s Hamilton team order wish

The Japanese Grand Prix showed Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are finally delivering on some of the intra-team fireworks that the formation of such a tantalisingly good Formula 1 driver line-up promised last year.

They went line astern fighting Ferrari for victory last weekend in Singapore and while in Japan the positions they were fighting for were lower, the intensity of their team radio frustration was arguably even greater.

The Race understands it was Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff who ultimately ruled that Russell let Hamilton through in the closing stages when the strategists were debating whether to order a reversal of the cars or agree to Russell’s request that Hamilton stay behind until the last lap so they could resist Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari together.

The broadcast of fraught radio traffic over that situation and an almost-messy earlier wheel-to-wheel battle put a new spotlight on Russell and Hamilton’s relationship. While their very sensible post-race comments played it all down, it didn’t make what unfolded during the race any less fascinating. And ultimately Mercedes played this one right.

THE LATE-RACE TEAM ORDERS

Russell was the only driver to attempt a one-stopper and was holding onto fifth place on ageing hard tyres when he was caught by team-mate Hamilton – whose hards were 10 laps fresher – with eight laps to go.

Hamilton warned his Mercedes team that “we’re going to lose both of these positions” if Russell didn’t let him through. Then just one lap later Hamilton was reassured “George has been instructed, we will swap positions into Turn 1”.

Russell wasn’t so keen, though.

“Why don’t we invert on the last lap and he just stays in DRS like last week unless he’s fighting for a bigger result?” came the plea. But the decision was already made: “So it’s an instruction George, swap positions”.

That’s because this was a situation unlike that of Singapore where Sainz successfully towed surprise ally Lando Norris’s McLaren so they could both keep the chasing Mercedes drivers at bay.

Overtaking there was much tougher than at Suzuka where a decent tyre advantage – which both Hamilton and Sainz had over Russell – was a sure enough ticket for a comfortable pass all Sunday long.

Mercedes – and Wolff – recognised that and clearly didn’t want to risk Sainz picking off both cars, even if it meant leaving Russell as easy meat for Sainz as a result.

Mercedes had already forecast this logic on Saturday evening too with Andrew Shovlin admitting “we’re getting to a stage of the championship where strategically we’re going to have to keep an eye on Ferrari”.

It was the safer, pragmatic choice and all but guaranteed Mercedes had a car finishing ahead of one Ferrari, minimising the swing in the constructors’ championship with Ferrari clipping Mercedes’ margin in second place from 24 points to 20.

On the lap after he overtook his team-mate, Hamilton did slow down enough through 130R to give…