Russell defends Hamilton for crash: "Visibility so difficult in these cars"

George Russell has spoken after his P4 at the Qatar Grand Prix, which was a superb recovery drive after he collided with his teammate Lewis Hamilton at the first corner of the opening lap.

Hamilton had a fantastic launch at the start and tried to overtake Russell around the outside, but he crashed into Russell's car, sending the seven-time champion into the gravel, while Russell fell to the back of the grid.

Russell does not blame Hamilton for the crash

Even with damage sustained from that crash, Russell fought back up to P4. After the race, Russell spoke in Mercedes' press release, and he did not blame Hamilton for the incident between the two but said the 'visibility' from their W14s is 'so difficult'.

The 25-year-old started by saying, "The incident at turn one was absolutely not intentional from either myself or Lewis. "Visibility is so difficult in these cars, and, especially when you're racing. There are big blind spots, and we both have so much respect for one another. We will make sure we come out of this stronger."

Lots of positives for Mercedes according to Russell

Russell was keen to look at the positives that the German team can take from this weekend in Qatar, and the goal for P2 in the Constructors' championship is still on, according to the Brit.

"Our goal is to get P2 in the Constructors', and we managed to outscore Ferrari this weekend. Our pace was very strong, too, so we can be confident going into these final five races. The Grand Prix itself was incredibly tough. It was by far the most physical race I've ever competed. It was like being inside an oven! I was pretty happy to see the chequered flag."