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Lewis Hamilton revealed after the race in Japan that he felt he had picked up damage on his front wing because of which he let George Russell by. Although Hamilton qualified ahead of his teammate for the first time this season in P7, he did not have the best race in Japan.
The race saw Lewis Hamilton struggle for pace compared to his teammate. After a few laps in the first stint, Lewis was being chased by George Russell in the DRS zone. What happened next came as a massive shock to the fans when Lewis radioed the team suggesting he could let George by.
Once George Russell passed Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes drivers continued to be separated by only a few seconds. By the time the chequered flag fell, George finished the race in P7 while Lewis was in P9. Talking to Sky Sports afterward, Lewis revealed that he felt that his car had suffered some damage and hence he thought it was best to let his teammate pass. He said,
"I think I picked up a bit of damage at the beginning with Charles, he came around the outside. I had huge understeer for the first stint. I couldn’t turn the car through any of the corners. That’s why I let George by."
Lewis Hamilton's teammate reflects on his race
Lewis Hamilton's teammate George Russell had a better overall race as he ended up a couple of places ahead of where he had started. The driver did have an intriguing battle against Oscar Piastri at the end of the race where George tried to jump Oscar with a lunge down the inside on the final chicane of the lap, but that only resulted in Oscar taking evasive action and cutting the next corner.
Eventually, a mistake a few laps later cost Oscar, as George overtook him and finished in P7. Looking back at the race, George told Sky Sports,
"It was a good race, a good battle. Obviously, I had a little bit of a late lunge on him. Felt like I gave him enough room, but made a bit of contact at the apex. I was a bit surprised to see him go straight on, but at the end, I managed to pass him away."
After four races into the season, George continues to be the better driver at Mercedes. It remains to be seen how or if the balance of power between the two drivers will turn in the coming days.
