But right at the start, Russell faced problems: “I got on the grid, saw my battery level had nothing in the tank, made a bad start and then obviously (had) some really tight battles with Charles (Leclerc), so I was really glad to cross the finish line.” he said, quoted by the official F1 website. These two exchanged first place multiple times over the first 10 laps and fans witnessed thrilling battles.

As Hajar faced technical failure and had to pull onto the grass and retire from the race, Mercedes took advantage of Virtual Safety Car and pitted both cars. Ferraris did not, they pitted later in the race during normal conditions. This strategic advantage helped Silver Arrows to take the chequered flag ahead of both Ferrari drivers, locking a 1-2 finish.

Russell has reported over to radio before that he is feeling comfortable with the one-stop strategy, which quickly paid off. He had to pass Hamilton on the track, but then, without any pressure, he finished 2.9 seconds ahead of Antonelli.

“Honestly, thank you so much to the whole team because it’s been a long time coming to have this car beneath us and we couldn’t start off in a better way,” Russell commented. “It was a bit sketchy, but I made it in one piece and I’m just glad to be 1-2.” he added.