The seven-time champion appeared to challenge the team, saying: “You put me in a very difficult position”. After the match, Hamilton was asked what he meant by his comment on his team radio. He said: “I could not fight for the third because the engine overheated and I had to go back. I just had to sit back, but as I said we got as many points as we could as a team and that is great. “ Hamilton also claimed that P4 was an “excellent result” for the team after suffering for pace all weekend. The Mercedes couple struggled to get into the top 10 on Friday and were defeated by midfield teams such as McLaren and Alpine. READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton grumbles on group radio about Mercedes strategy in Australia “In order to reach the fifth and sixth place in the qualifiers, to have progressed as we have and to have credibility, we certainly did not expect to have third and fourth. George did a very good job today. I watched some of the fight with him fight with Perez and I wish I could be in it. “But we will still get these points and we will continue to push.” Russell’s first Mercedes podium puts him second in the standings after finishing in the top five in the first three races. After the race, he warned Red Bull and Ferrari that the Silver Arrows would not give up until they returned to the front. He said: “We were a little lucky twice today, but we will endure it. It takes so much hard work to get us back. We will never give up, we were far behind and yet we are here on the podium. If anyone can, Mercedes can ».
