George Russell has revealed he "knew the risk" of a penalty was possible when attempting to muscle past Esteban Ocon in the Italian Grand Prix. Emerging from the pits, Russell was side-by-side with Ocon into the first chicane, with the Mercedes on the inside for Turn 1. However, he took to the escape road during the move, and gained a lasting advantage, being hit with a five-second time penalty as a result but building up enough of a margin to comfortably finish in fifth. The first chicane at the track often sees drivers attempting to go around the outside of rivals at Turns 1 and 2, with Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc two such during the race. Skipping the second turn to avoid contact with another driver is often a route taken when battling, and seen throughout various racing disciplines including F1. Russell admitted that he knew what the potential consequences could be if he got the move wrong as his race depended on it.
Russell aware of risks
"I came out the pits right next to Ocon," he explained to media including RacingNews365. "I knew if I fell behind him my chance to undercut the guys ahead would disappear, so I went in very hot into Turn 1 knowing there was a bit of a risk to miss the corner and that's what happened. "It's a bit of a shame because it's always a bit of a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card with the run-off there. "That gives drivers, especially when you're fighting, a chance to miss the corner. So I'd probably like to see a bit of a change in that corner in the future." When asked if he would take a similar risk again in the same situation after being handed a penalty, Russell said: "Yeah, absolutely. "I knew that P5 was probably the worst that we could have achieved considering the gap to the guy in P6 (teammate Lewis Hamilton)."
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