550-word mag report

The Lanan Racing driver overturned a 21-point deficit to team-mate Arjun Maini after beating his fellow 16-year-old in all three races in Norfolk.

Had Russell converted pole, earned by a smart decision to switch to wets in qualifying as the track dried slowly, into victory in race one his task would have been much simpler. But a fluffed start immediately made that task difficult.

Diego Menchaca surged past on the run to Riches and Gaetano di Mauro slipped by at Agostini as well. Russell had barely any time to react before the red flag was required when Will Palmer and Jordan Albert collided at Montreal and their cars were stranded mid-corner.

That incident eliminated one of the six mathematical title protagonists, and by the race's end it was just a quartet as fifth was not enough to keep Struan Moore in contention. Moore's mid-race attempt at passing di Mauro at Riches delayed both and he then banged wheels with team-mate Russell at Palmer, dropping the poleman to seventh and allowing Fielding past both to grab fourth.

Fourth became third for the HHC man as he passed di Mauro at Riches. That squabbled dropped them back from an emotional Menchaca, who dedicated his victory to a recently-deceased close friend. Charlie Eastwood grabbed second after a fine restart dragged him past Russell and included an around-the-outside move at Riches on di Mauro. Moore, a charging Raoul Hyman (up from last on the grid), Russell and the anonymous Maini completed a train of five cars that ended the race nose-to-tail.

Maini led from pole in the reverse-grid encounter as Russell made another poor start and dropped behind Hyman, and the South African forced Maini to defend into Riches next time round before diving inside at Montreal. Two corners later Russell bumped his team-mate and title rival down to third with a superb move around the outside at Agostini.

While Russell couldn't find a way past Hyman, he and Fielding - who completed the podium - did claw valuable points back on Maini when a mistake dropped the points leader from third to fifth two laps from the end.

Poor getaways in the opening two races hurt Russell's confidence - "my right foot" was his blunt answer when asked for the cause - and a sluggish start to the season finale put him under immediate pressure as Hyman and Fielding attacked either side.

The South African, knowing a win was almost essential for him to have any hope of winning the championship, eased ahead on the outside but Fielding went to Russell's right and was squeezed onto the grass for his troubles.

That dropped him behind Eastwood, who had demoted Maini to fifth, and allowed the top two to gradually ease clear. That order would have been enough to earn Maini the crown by three points but Russell attacked Hyman for the lead with earnest and pulled off a fine move into Hamilton after forcing his rival to defend into Agostini.

Three blistering laps handed Russell a one-second buffer over Hyman, which he held to the flag to clinch a fifth win of the season and the title with it, as Maini failed to make progress from fifth.

"I thought I might have lost it," the champion confessed afterwards. "Race one was a disastrous start to the weekend. I'm so happy. We kept on fighting and we've got what we were after all year."