Mercedes had a crucial run during the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday. The Silver Arrows started strong during the practice sessions on Friday. However, the racing team had a tough time on Sunday, resulting in George Russell starting P12 on the gird. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton kept his position steady throughout the weekend after starting sixth during Sunday\’s race. The Briton looked focused and managed to get up to fifth. However, George Russell was determined to climb up to the front from P12. He took on some strong rivals to get behind Hamilton on the seventh spot before crossing the 37-year-old to acquire the fifth spot.
The two Mercedes drivers finished fifth and sixth in the end, during what has been a bittersweet weekend for the Silver Arrows. Russell\’s another finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton has put the younger Briton ahead by 23 more points. Both Russell and Hamilton acquired contrary strategies during the race in Miami. After being forced to start at P12, Russell had a long first run on hard tyres before he switched to mediums. Meanwhile, Hamilton, like other drivers, drove most of the race on hard tyres.
The Briton remained in the lead before a safety car procedure was triggered due to a collision between McLaren\’s Lando Norris and AlphaTauri\’s Pierre Gasly. Lewis took the opportunity to make a small pit stop and shed his hard tyres for a set of medium or soft tyres for the final ten laps. The Mercedes team asked Hamilton to make a crucial strategy call during the race\’s final stages, which came up during a radio conversation with his race engineer. Lewis Hamilton was asked about the incident after the race as the Briton shared his perspective on the whole scenario.
Hamilton Not Pleased By Team Asking Him To Make A Strategy Call During The Race
A team radio conversation between Hamilton and his race engineer Pete Bonnington in the late stages became a topic of discussion after the race. Hamilton was asked to make a strategy call. but the Briton thought it was not his responsibility to decide. Lewis felt that the team had more information with them than he did while racing to take the call.
The former world champ was asked about the incident during the post-race interview. Lewis told that he had no clue where everyone was during the scenario. Hence, the team asked Lewis Hamilton to choose, but he did not have enough information to decide. The Mercedes driver said that it was his team\’s responsibility to decide for him as they had all the details at their disposal. Lewis did not understand why the team told him to decide. However, he was happy that Mercedes got points in Miami. Hamilton also pointed out that the W13 has been reliable amid all the troubles with porpoising and pace. The Briton added, \”I\’m excited to, at some stage, take a step forward, which we haven\’t yet.\”
The two Mercedes drivers secured the maximum points for the team in the situation they are in with their troublesome W13. Although Red Bull and Ferrari dominated the race again. Max Verstappen clinched the victory while Ferrari\’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished second and third.