Following an additional pit stop at Imola, George Russell was defeated by Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes’ George Russell lost out in the intra-team battle with Lewis Hamilton due to a late extra pit stop.
Russell, who began the race from the sixth position on the grid, appeared likely to maintain the same position throughout the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday. However, the team made a last-minute decision to bring him in for a tyre change.
George Russell: All weekend, I’d been ahead of Lewis Hamilton
Throughout the initial three-quarters of the race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Russell had consistently been in the lead, with teammate Lewis Hamilton following closely behind. At one point in the middle portion of the race, Russell had even managed to establish a nine-second lead over Hamilton, as both drivers had adopted the same tire strategy.
On Lap 21, Russell made a pit stop to change from the medium to the hard tyre, and Hamilton did the same on the 27th lap.
As the race neared its end, the seven-time F1 World Champion, equipped with newer tires than Russell, started closing the gap. He managed to reduce Russell’s advantage to a mere 3.7 seconds before Mercedes made the decision to bring Russell in for a tire change.
During Lap 53, Russell made a pit stop and switched to a previously used set of medium tires in order to finish the race. This pit stop allowed Hamilton to easily overtake him and gain a position. However, Russell found some solace in setting the fastest lap of the race and earning a point for it.
After losing to Hamilton due to the additional pit stop, Russell elaborated on his viewpoint regarding the decision after the race.
“After crossing the finish line, Russell expressed to the media, including PlanetF1.com, that as a driver, his aim is to secure the highest position achievable, and throughout the entire weekend, he had managed to stay ahead of his team-mate.”
I comfortably held the lead throughout the entire race, but then I inexplicably lost my position for no apparent reason.
Although we secured the additional point, I won’t dwell on it tonight, as we shouldn’t get disheartened. It’s only a sixth-place finish, which isn’t comparable to a podium or a win.
Toto Wolff disclosed that the data examined by Mercedes during the race indicated that Russell would not be able to comfortably complete the Grand Prix on the hard tire. Fearing a potential overtake from Sergio Perez, Mercedes chose the safer option.
“After George’s second pit stop, our wear predictions indicated that he might encounter difficulties in preserving the hard tyre till the race’s conclusion,” stated the Mercedes team manager during a media briefing, including PlanetF1.com, after the competition.
“We had a chance to strategically pit and overtake Perez, so we decided to make the stop. This move also allowed us to aim for the fastest lap point. Unfortunately, George lost a position to Lewis, but in the end, our team successfully secured an extra point.”
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George Russell explains early pit stop decision
Russell admitted to complaining about the rear of his car at the start of the race, but he clarified that there was no technical issue. He had simply been struggling with low grip from the rear tires.
He stated that he believed there had been some sliding around.
“However, in the end, we projected to secure the positions of P6 and P7, and that’s precisely where our team concluded.”
Russell explained that he decided to pit on Lap 21, a few laps ahead of the other frontrunners, in order to apply pressure on the leading Ferrari.
“He said that our intention was merely to apply some pressure on [Carlos] Sainz.”
However, in the end, I believe we made the decision to pit a little too early, which slightly compromised the race on my side of the garage.
However, as a team, we managed to secure the extra point by achieving the fastest lap.
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