George Russell defended after Mercedes outburst: 'He was right'

Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has jumped to the defence of George Russell, following his radio outburst in Mexico City. 

Russell was one of the most vocal drivers on the radio at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, firstly after a controversial opening lap. 

The Briton was unhappy that Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were not penalised for cutting the grass at the opening corners and maintaining position, while he navigated the section cleanly.

Later in the race, Russell urged Mercedes to let him overtake team-mate Kimi Antonelli, due to believing he had stronger pace. 

It took the Silver Arrows several laps to swap its drivers, by at which point Russell had become increasingly infuriated and shouted on the radio. 

By the time he was allowed past, he failed to break away, which saw him return sixth to Antonelli before the end of the race.

Discussing if Russell's Mexico radio outburst is a sign of trouble, Steiner said on the Red Flags podcast: "It's not a sign of trouble. I mean, what else can he do? 

"And I think he was right, actually, I think he was absolutely right. He said, I wore my tyres out trying to overtake my team-mate. I have nothing left.

"It was pretty obvious what happened there, but I don't think he's losing faith. He said, this is what I want to do. They didn't let him do it and George said, okay, yeah, race for the team, but if the team doesn't look after himself to finish second in the world championship, what can I do? 

"He doesn't have to blame himself, he said he couldn't guarantee that he will overtake the other ones. But he was like, I'm faster. 

"[And then] oh, you're not faster anymore. After five laps trying to overtake your team-mate and wearing your brakes and your tyres out."