George Russell won't 'sulk' after Lewis Hamilton beat him to sixth in Emilia Romagna GP following Mercedes pit stop decision
George Russell mentioned that he won't pout over the fact that he missed out on the sixth position in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to his colleague Lewis Hamilton, as he got called in for a pit stop towards the end by Mercedes.
At the beginning of the race, Hamilton overtook Yuki Tsunoda and advanced to the seventh position, which put him right behind Russell in the race. Russell made a tire change from medium to hard compound after completing the 21st lap.
During the 63-lap race, Hamilton decided to delay his pit stop for an additional six laps. This gave him an edge in terms of tire condition as the race approached its end.
When Russell's tires started to deteriorate, he became vulnerable to being passed by Hamilton and Red Bull's Sergio Perez if he continued to race. Therefore, Mercedes made the decision to bring him in for a pit stop in order to return to the race ahead of Perez.
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Hamilton ended up earning eight points for securing sixth place, whereas Russell managed to gain six points for his seventh-place finish, in addition to grabbing one extra point for recording the quickest lap in the race on his new set of tires.
Russell said to Sky Sports F1 that you will not feel content with positions six and seven.
When it was all said and done, our team got an additional point. While I did come in behind Lewis, I'm not going to mope about losing out on the sixth position.
Toto Wolff, the head guy of the Mercedes team, shared the reason why Russell was informed via team radio that Hamilton wouldn't allow him to pass and regain sixth place. This happened before Russell's pit stop.
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Wolff mentioned to Sky Sports F1 that the times it took for him to complete each lap were decreasing gradually, and our predictions demonstrated that he wouldn't be able to finish the race. We were adamant not to forfeit our place to Perez.
Lewis might have chosen to take him regardless. The main idea is that we are competing for the sixth and seventh positions and wanted to make sure that the Red Bull car didn't pass us. It was a decision made in order to prioritize safety.
Hamilton And Russell: Lost In Uncharted Territory
Mercedes did not perform as good as Max Verstappen, the driver who is currently leading the championship. Verstappen managed to stay ahead of Lando Norris and win the race after Norris made a last-minute attempt to catch up.
At the end of the race, Charles Leclerc from Ferrari stood on the third and final podium position while his teammate, Carlos Sainz, claimed the fifth spot after Oscar Piastri from McLaren.
Russell stated that we are currently situated in a position that can be described as somewhat uncertain - not quite as highly ranked as the Ferraris and McLarens, but also not among the less powerful midfield teams.
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It's really encouraging to see that everyone remains highly motivated and their spirits haven't dampened. It's amazing to see how everyone is putting in efforts to make this project a success and work towards its betterment.
Currently, individuals residing in Brackley and Brixworth are working at full throttle, and it's an excellent sight to behold. We must continue to exert ourselves.
"Ultimately, we made the most of the day."
Hamilton, who will depart Mercedes by the conclusion of the current season to join Ferrari, shared a comparable evaluation with his fellow teammate.
Hamilton shared with Sky Sports F1 that we managed to earn some points, which is definitely a good thing.
We're kind of stuck in a remote area with no signs of human activity, but overall I'm satisfied with our performance. I believe we've given our best and there's nothing more we could have done.
Towards Progress
Mercedes has had a dreadful beginning to their 2024 endeavors since they could not produce a winning vehicle for the third season under Formula 1's current design laws.
Their total score so far is a mere 79 points from the kickoff of the seven rounds. To make matters worse, they're lagging a whopping 189 points behind the front-runners, Red Bull.
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It seems that the new improvements they introduced at Miami and Imola have given them a bit of extra steadiness, but they've acknowledged that they won't be able to rival the leading competitors until their upcoming upgrades arrive later in the summer.
"Even though our progress towards the desired position of the car may not be evident on the outcome, we are indeed taking significant steps," Wolff stated.
"Our lap times are more than 30 seconds slower than the fastest competitors, which is a significant difference. Finishing in sixth or seventh place does not give us any reason to feel proud."
The annoyance in my tone is palpable, however, there are additional improvements that we must strive for. It's crucial to make small advancements gradually, as this is the nature of the sporting world.
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