George Russell expected Ferrari collision after 'most aggressive racing'

George Russell has admitted he was anticipating a crash between the two Ferrari drivers during the Chinese Grand Prix, labelling the battle as the “most aggressive racing” he has seen in some time.

Russell dropped from second to fourth on the opening lap as the fast-starting Ferrari cars moved ahead of him.

After making his way past both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Russell fell behind them again following a safety car restart.

The trio then tussled in a closely contested fight, and Russell eventually moved back in front of the pair, albeit now several seconds down on team-mate and race leader Kimi Antonelli.

Reflecting on the battle with the Ferrari drivers, Russell admitted surprise over the Italian squad emerging unscathed.

“I was just waiting for the two of them to collide, and somehow they didn’t,” Russell told the media, including RacingNews365. 

“It was some of the most aggressive racing I’ve seen for a while. 

“If I wasn’t trying to win the race, I’d have been enjoying the battle, but obviously, watching Kimi pull away during those points, it was a little bit annoying. 

“But Ferrari is definitely very quick. They’re quicker in the corners than us, slower than us on the straight, so it just made it a little bit challenging. 

“And when you’re trying to get past two of them at the same point, that wasn’t straightforward.”

Russell exited the Shanghai round with his championship lead intact as Mercedes continues to impose itself as the strongest team.

However, the Briton insisted the pecking order picture could rapidly change.

“As it stands, we have the upper hand," he said. "But we can’t take that for granted because obviously we know some things are going to be changing in a couple of months. 

“The upgrades are massive at the moment, so yeah, let’s see where it falls out.”