Mercedes is desperate to get back to winning ways. But the car is not helping the drivers at all. However, the Japanese GP proved that the drivers in the team might not be happy with each other. At one point, George Russell clearly asked on the radio if they were fighting each other or the others. It happened after Lewis Hamilton forced Russell off the track as he ran wide out of Degner 2. Later, Lewis Hamilton spoke on the radio, saying they would lose both positions if Russell didn’t let him through.
At this point, Hamilton was on a two-stop strategy, but Russell was on a one-stop strategy. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton was trying to chase Carlos Sainz down. After the Mercedes team gave orders to Hamilton to give Russell the DRS, the former William’s driver lost to Carlos Sainz and finished at P7. Moreover, Mercedes drivers were crying for help on the team radio. It is clear that everything is not fine over the Mercedes front. The drivers were trying to bend the team to their own personal will.
F1 Pundits Feels Hamilton And Russell Were Crying For Help
Ernest Knoors of Viaplay mentioned the chemistry between Russell and Hamilton is getting bitter. Before Russell, Hamilton was number one in Mercedes. But now the 25-year-old driver is doing pretty well. Since last year, Russell has been the only Mercedes driver to win a Grand Prix. Moreover, Ernest Knoors and Van der Grint of Viaplay believe it is a sign of weakness for the Mercedes team. The Viaplay analysts pointed out that the two Mercedes drivers were calling the engineers to help them over the other teammate.
Albeit they did not contact in Suzuka, Japan, if this trouble with communication keeps going on, they might eventually come in contact and end a certain race. Van der Grint mentioned Hamilton might push Russell out of frustration because he is hard to pass. But Bradley Lord of Mercedes mentioned they have gotten into the habit of not focusing on what somebody said in the heat of the moment. The Mercedes communication chief says it won’t take time to tidy things up between the two drivers.
Mercedes Must Do Whatever It Takes To Build A Perfect Car For Next Year
Mercedes is at present focusing on the development of W15. They would like to fight for the title next season. The Brackley team is taking a long time to figure out the limitations of the car. They have been struggling since last season. In 2023, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been winless. A couple of P2 finishes for Lewis Hamilton, but that was it. Like last year, the German team aims to win at least one race this season. It has been 16 races so far, with Red Bull winning 15 and Ferrari winning the remaining one. But Mercedes has been very inconsistent, especially because of different tracks with different downforce.
The German team found better results in high-downforce circuits. But they really struggled in low downforce circuits like Spa and Monza. The last race in Suzuka, Japan, was very difficult for the Mercedes drivers. Both drivers failed to get a podium finish. Lewis Hamilton finished at P5, but his teammate George Russell had a P7 finish. On the other hand, Red Bull, as usual, had a very strong weekend in Japan yet again. However, Sergio Perez had a DNF. But Max Verstappen won his 13th race of the year in Suzuka. The Japanese circuit was clearly suiting the Red Bull car better.
