George Russell reveals Max Verstappen tactics surprise in F1 title defeat

George Russell has revealed his surprise at Max Verstappen not backing the pack up in the title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP, something the Mercedes driver "expected" to happen.

Verstappen converted pole position into victory in the season-opener but fell two points short of a record-equalling fifth consecutive drivers' title.

Lando Norris finished the finale in third to secure a maiden championship, while Russell had to settle for a disappointing fifth.

Russell knew ahead of the race that he was likely to struggle but had expected Verstappen to drive at a slower pace to keep the field bunched in a bid to cause issues for Norris.

For Verstappen, this strategy became impossible, as McLaren moved Oscar Piastri into second, who the Red Bull driver could not afford to fall behind. It resulted in a below-par final race of the year, particularly for Russell and Mercedes.

Asked if he ever thought he was in the lead fight, Russell told select media including RacingNews365: "No, to be honest, after about four laps, I realised we didn't have the pace.

"We knew we didn't have the pace, honestly. I think we all expected Max to back people up a little bit more. But the truth is, when we went around it [before the race], there was very little Max."

Much to Russell's shock, only Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was able to briefly threaten Norris, having shown excellent race pace.

Leclerc's SF-25 came alive at the Yas Marina Circuit, something which has occurred on the odd occasion this year.

Discussing Leclerc's strong pace, Russell replied: "Yeah, I was very surprised, to be honest. I mean, Ferrari do show signs of really great speed at random points.

"I think we were probably more surprised by how weak our pace was. Myself down in fifth and Kimi in 15th — it's pretty abnormal. So, as I said, I'm glad this era has come to a close."