LEWIS HAMILTON and George Russell were engaged in an awkward exchange following the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The British duo took a sensational one-two finish for Mercedes, with Russell taking the chequered flag after starting from pole as Hamilton recovered from P10 in qualifying to finish runner-up.
The pair and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz all shared a car ride to the podium.
A camera inside the car picked up the conversation between them en route to pick up their trophies.
Following his second win of the season, Russell, 26, remarked to Hamilton: “Man you were flying at one point.”
Looking over, Sainz then pointed to Hamilton and said: “This guy?”
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Russell then replied: “Yeah,” while shaking his head.
Hamilton – who has now picked up podiums around a record 36 F1 tracks – responded by saying: “Had a long way to go though, to catch up. I was so far behind.”
During the car ride itself, Hamilton was seen pulling down a sun visor and using the mirror in it before arriving at the podium while Russell and Sainz were engaged in conversation.
Seeing the exchange, one fan said: “Imagine the tension.”
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A second said: “Lewis is secretly like get me out of this car now.”
A third added: “Damn the tension… Lewis man,.. haha.”
Another said: “Sooo awkward in that car.”
During the race Hamilton punched in a number of fastest laps but was unable to catch his team-mate in the end, finishing seven seconds behind him.
He had bemoaned his poor qualifying performance on Saturday, and believes it ultimately cost him the race win.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today. But it’s ok. I had fun coming from 10th. The team did a fantastic job.
“We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend, but that’s the best the car’s ever felt, so I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.
“We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend, but that’s the best the car’s ever felt, so I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.
“The championship’s done, so now it’s just all out, fight for the best positions possible.”
Hamilton is now entering his final two races with Mercedes before he joins Ferrari in 2025 after signing a two-year deal worth £100million.
Following the win, Russell has revealed he has cancelled his travel plans to party with the team, calling it a “dream” weekend.
He said: “I was planning to fly in a couple of hours but I’m definitely not getting on that flight! I’m going to enjoy this evening with all my team.
“It’s been a dream of a weekend. I don’t know how we’ve been so quick but I’m just riding this wave right now.
“To get the victory here, pole position, a dominant weekend, one-two with Lewis as well… We couldn’t have chosen a better place to make this happen.”
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen confirmed his fourth world drivers title after finishing P5 ahead of Lando Norris in P6 – despite the McLaren star also picking up an extra point for the fastest lap.
Despite the drivers championship now being concluded, the constructors’ remains a close battle before the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
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McLaren sit on 608 points with Ferrari close behind 584. Red Bull are some way off in third on 555, while Mercedes are confirmed fourth place with their 425 points.
Meanwhile, Martin Brundle’s grid walk went viral once again after he snubbed a playboy bunny.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
