Don’t miss… <\/strong> Michael Schumacher joke made on live Spanish TV as F1 pundit faces backlash<\/strong><\/p>\n “George is still the understudy, and he’s doing a very good job on those occasions where he’s got the speed over Lewis to really take the fight to him,” Davidson told the Sky Sports F1 podcast. “But he’s doing it in such a George Russell polite way, which is quite humorous to watch, because I know inside the car, he’ll be fuming and steaming.<\/p>\n “And that’s why we see the near misses, the drivers coming almost to blows, almost to contact, but then he’s a good boy on the radio, he’s very British about it.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n “And there are layers to him, to the annoyance, I think. It always comes over as, ‘I’m okay with this, but if you could please, very thankfully, let me through with the next couple of opportunities, it’d be much appreciated.’ And we’d hear him maybe be a bit more vocal if things were different. But I think for now, I think he knows where he is in the team.”<\/p>\n Tensions threatened to boil over late in the Japanese Grand Prix, when Russell was caught by Hamilton while attempting to nurse his Mercedes home on worn-out, hard-compound tyres. “If you want to play the team game… he pushed by off the track earlier,” the 25-year-old told his race engineer.<\/p>\n The Silver Arrows swapped the drivers regardless, and Carlos Sainz also caught Russell before the chequered flag. “When you’re in the car 48 laps in, you’re giving it everything and you’re making a sub-optimal strategy to try and work, that radio is a vent to release some frustration,” he explained.<\/p>\n “It’s been a complete disaster of a season, so many missed chances. Lewis is in a really good position for P3. Standing here now, it’s all good.”<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/73\/590x\/secondary\/4980822.jpg?r=1695807685412\")
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