At Imola, George Russell experienced an improved driving experience with his upgraded Mercedes.
Mercedes technical director James Allison has gone into detail about the reasons behind George Russell’s extra pit stop at Imola over the weekend.
The age of his tires played a significant role in why he had to come in, even though he emphasized that there was no substantial difference in how he and his teammate Lewis Hamilton were driving.
Mercedes clarify George Russell team order through tyre wear
The two Mercedes drivers were running sixth and seventh at Imola for much of the race, and while Russell had been ahead of Hamilton, he ultimately paid the price for a pit stop that came too early in the race for him to make it to the end.
Russell made the point after the race that he had been ahead of Hamilton for most of the weekend, but ultimately was not going to be “sulking” about losing one place to his team-mate.
Despite receiving the bonus point for setting the fastest lap of the race, he was informed by the Mercedes technical director that he wouldn’t have had sufficient tire durability to finish the race after making an early pit stop. The bonus point served as a form of consolation.
“In Mercedes’ post-Imola debrief, Allison explained that George’s pace in his second stint was closely aligned with Lewis, taking into account the fuel mass and tyre age of both cars.”
Lewis and George were pedaling in a virtually indistinguishable manner, with no significant inherent difference between them.
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George’s first stint was significantly shorter than the other car, resulting in his tires being older than everyone else’s when he started his second stint with hard rubber. As a result, he had to endure a longer stint with more degraded tires compared to his competitors on the track at that time.
The speed of the car was appropriate considering the distance covered and the condition of the tire.
However, the duration of the stint and the age of the tire seemed to be cutting it close towards the end of the race. As a precautionary measure, we made the decision to bring George in for a second pit stop, providing him with fresh tires and the opportunity to secure the fastest lap. This not only benefits the team in terms of points, but also ensures that he doesn’t run out of tire and experience any potential failures towards the end of the race.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the tire in that stint; we were simply facing the consequences of a first stint that was a bit shorter than ideal.
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