Russell had 'good fun' battling Kubica despite 'hairy' move

Williams' George Russell says he enjoyed a good inner-team battle with Robert Kubica in Sunday's French Grand Prix, the highlight of which was a bold move on the Pole on the outside of the ultra-fast Signes corner.

Kubica had the upper hand over the Brit in the early part of the race, but a first attempt by the combative Russell to pass his teammate on the outside at Signes results in the rookie running wide and hitting a market board.

Russell regrouped however and tried the same move again on lap 18, this time with a successful outcome and a thrill that he later described as "quite a hairy move but the highlight of my race".

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"It was good fun," the 21-year-old said.

"I told the team at the start I felt that I was quicker than him but didn't expect anything to change, I wanted to do it fairly and properly on track.

"The first attempt I went wide and damaged the front wing, second attempt I made it stick."

Kubica conceded that he didn't want to force the issue with Russell when the pair went wheel-to-wheel.

"You know you don't want to take too much risk fighting with your teammate for 18th and 19th, or 19th and 20th," said the Polish driver.

©Williams

Unfortunately, Russell's early off-track excursion eventually warranted a second pit stop for the Brit and a new front wing, allowing Kubica to snatch back the P18 position.

"From my side, I felt no difference [with the damaged front wing] but the team was seeing some issues," Russell explained.

"I think maybe there was a small crack when I hit the polystyrene board.

"If we were fighting for points, we probably would have stayed out there and risk it. But there was no need."

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