After going winless for the majority of the season, Mercedes went into the Japanese Grand Prix in search of their first win for the season. However, the team and its massive fanbase were handed another heartbreak in Japan as they failed to find their first win yet again. The only positive for Mercedes this season has been the performance of their young driver George Russell. But the young Broton also criticized his team for a mistake during the race at Suzuka. Now, the team has responded to the complaint.
Mercedes Answers To George Russell\’s Criticism!
Although the race in Suzuka was held in dangerous circumstances, it became clear very soon that the medium tire delivered far more speed than the wet compound. Following the success of several backmarkers in making the switch, Mercedes lost no time in pitting both of its drivers on the same lap. Russell harshly disputed this decision and was made to wait while Lewis Hamilton was being serviced. This cost the 24-year-old somewhere about 10 seconds.
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After another challenging race at the Japanese Grand Prix, George Russell thinks having to pass vehicles to go up the standings had a silver lining. The Mercedes driver qualified just seventh on the grid. And was delayed in his first pit stop because of a double stack at Mercedes. Following the delay, Russell yelled angrily over the team radio, calling it the worst choice Mercedes had ever done. The Brit fell to 12th place, but only after some superb overtakes. After finishing last Sunday in Singapore, he rebounded to finish ninth and earn four points from a challenging Suzuka weekend.
The 24-year-old driver got off to a strong start in seventh place, just behind Fernando Alonso\’s Alpine, who tried valiantly. But unsuccessfully to pass Hamilton on the opening lap. The severe hit Carlos Sainz had with the barrier raised a red flag, ending the fight. Furthermore, because of the lengthy delay, the race would always have a time constraint. The squad struggled with their lack of straight-line speed.
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Trackside engineering manager Andrew Shovlin also acknowledged that overtaking was challenging at Suzuka. A lower downforce configuration would have been preferable in Mercedes\’ most recent race analysis. George Russell\’s evaluation of the team\’s tactics during the Japanese Grand Prix was accurate, which Andrew Shovlin has also acknowledged.
Although Russell calmed down after the race, he maintained his position before asking the crew for an explanation during the post-race debrief. Russell adamantly maintained that he had a chance to fight Hamilton for fifth place. Russell\’s ambitions of finishing second place in the Drivers Championship were dashed by the two-race weekend in the far East. With four races remaining, the 24-year-old, who is now in fourth place, is 46 points behind Sergio Perez, who is in second.
