George Russell has asserted Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff did not need to intervene with a message prior to his on-track battle with Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton was forced to produce a comeback drive in Abu Dhabi after a disastrous qualifying session saw him line up towards the back of the field. The seven-time champion went deep into the race with a set of hard tyres before switching to mediums for the final stint. With fresher, softer tyres in his arsenal, Hamilton closed in on Russell and overtook his team-mate around the outside of Turn 9 for fourth place. Prior to the battle, Wolff voiced over the team radio: “George, stating the obvious, keep it clean with Lewis.” When asked if it was necessary for Wolff to step in, Russell told media including RacingNews365 : “No, of course [not]. Toto doesn't need to say it. “He knows Lewis and I have got so much respect for one another. We always race hard but fairly and it came down to the wire.” The race was Hamilton's last for Mercedes ahead of his switch to Ferrari next year in place of Carlos Sainz. Russell will become the team leader at the Brackley-based squad next year with rookie Kimi Antonelli stepping in for Hamilton. Russell outlined the value of spending three years competing alongside Hamilton as he takes on the new role. “Ultimately having these three years together, I’ve learned so much from Lewis, as a driver, as a person,” he said. “He deserved to finish ahead of me [in Abu Dhabi] because he's been quicker this whole weekend. “As I said, I'm proud to have had these these years.”
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