On the latter occasion Russell was deemed to have gained an advantage, and having not given back the place he was handed a five-second penalty that ultimately had no impact on his fifth position
in the race won by Max Verstappen.
“I knew that there had to be a maximised out-lap, and I came out of the pits right behind or next to Ocon,” he said of the incident.
“And I knew if I fell behind him, my chance to undercut the guys ahead would disappear. So I went in very hot into Turn 1, knowing there was a bit of a risk to miss the corner, and that's what happened.
“In Monza, it's a bit of a shame, because it's always a bit of a ‘get out of jail free’ card with the run-off there. And that gives drivers, especially when you're fighting, the chance to miss the corner. So I'd probably like to see a bit of a change in that corner in the future.”
Russell said he had no regrets about making a risky move that would probably earn a penalty: “I knew that P5 was probably the worst that we could have achieved, considering the gap to the guy in P6.
“So it would have only compromised me if it was a safety car right at the end [and the field bunched up].”