Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell was surprisingly magnanimous in his post-race assessment after being ordered to let team-mate - and direct title rival - Kimi Antonelli through at the conclusion of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Antonelli had got ahead of Russell at the (initial) start, but ended up closing down on his team-mate on fresher tyres after Mercedes took the opportunity of a late-race virtual safety car to swap him to softs.

There was a clear pace offset as Antonelli approached Russell (with the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc also closing in after their own VSC pitstops), and so an overtake between the Mercedes drivers looked likely - but not necessarily nailed on.

Russell had initially asked Mercedes for some teamwork - meaning the use of Antonelli's car as a buffer - seemingly aware already of the threat posed by the Ferraris. This was never particularly likely to be ordered, but he did not sound impressed when told to wave Antonelli by at Turn 1.

But while acknowledging post-race that the podium "could have gone either way", Russell surprisingly stuck up for the strategy. "Kimi was ahead of me anyway, so he deserved to finish ahead," he insisted.

"And of course when you're in the race you want to fight for every single position - but with the pace with the new tyre, he would have overtaken anyway. It was the right decision."

That post-race reaction was in sharp contrast to Russell - perhaps sarcastically - querying "Is he fighting for the win? Or, is he planning to catch Norris?" when Antonelli was ordered ahead, with Norris over 11 seconds clear at that point.

In acquiescing, Russell surrendered two seconds relative to his pace - which should at least raise questions as to whether the swap was executed optimally or whether the optimal point was chosen.

Though he ultimately held onto the podium, a fifth-place finish looked dangerously likely at one point as both Hamilton and Leclerc were beginning to absolutely swarm him - the race being suspended by virtual safety car just as Hamilton lined up a move on the main straight.

The question then is whether the view Russell expressed in the immediate aftermath of the race will be the same as what he says behind closed doors - or whether his real feelings are closer to that initial incandescence in the car.

Ideally he would have surely liked the chance to fend off the fresher-tyred Antonelli - given that he did fight off the Ferraris in the end, and given that Antonelli appeared distinctly uncomfortable pace-wise for the entire second half of the race.

The four-second gap between the two at the finish does not really suggest the pass was an inevitability. But perhaps this is a case of Russell and other drivers of his generation being increasingly mindful of picking their battles and playing the long game in terms of harmony.

Russell could have tried to stick it out for a long-shot six-point swing against Antonelli but will have calculated the more profitable thing is to stay in Mercedes' good graces by following a team order.

He then will have had the presence of mind not to launch into more public deliberations over the strategy - something that Antonelli slightly bizarrely chose to do on team radio at the finish - given it ultimately just about worked out.

Playing the team game in the car and in front of the media won't help him in this year's title race - but it may help him ensure he enjoys Mercedes' help and Mercedes' car in many future title races.