Mercedes driver George Russell has reacted to his near-miss with Sir Lewis Hamilton in the dying laps of the race at Zandvoort.
Russell was on a set of superior tyres to his Mercedes team-mate, as he decided to make a pit-stop under the later Safety Car, while Hamilton stayed out.
The seven-time world champion was immediately passed by Max Verstappen at the restart, and Russell was quickly on his tail.
As the 24-year-old gained on him down the start-finish straight, Hamilton made a late move, forcing Russell to lift off the throttle to avoid a high-speed collision.
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Speaking after the grand prix, Russell was asked by David Coulthard about the incident with his team-mate.
“Firstly, a huge thank you to the crowd here. It’s been an incredible reception, it’s a very special feeling for all of us drivers racing here in Zandvoort,” he began.
Addressing the near-miss, Russell jokingly said: “Yeah, we like to keep it close, you know, always.
“But, you know, as a team, I think today we showed incredible pace. I know the team result wasn’t quite what we hoped for.
“But this gives us a lot of confidence and a lot of faith moving forward. I think it’s incredible to see three different teams on the podium, and Mercedes slowing getting closer,” he added.
During the race, Hamilton made it clear that he wasn’t pleased about Mercedes allowing Russell to pit for fresh tyres, as this removed his “buffer” to Verstappen, who moved up to second.
READ: Lewis Hamilton ‘urgently’ wants Mercedes to fire George Russell, bring back Valtteri Bottas
“We had a buffer between us. Now we don’t have that,” he told his race engineer upon discovering that his team-mate had pitted.
“I can’t believe you screwed me like that. I can’t describe how pissed I am,” Hamilton said in a separate radio message.
The serial champion is currently sixth in the Drivers’ Championship on 158 points – 30 points behind fourth-placed Russell.