Mercedes driver George Russell has expressed his desire to engage in discussions with his team following their tactical miscalculations during the Dutch Grand Prix.
The British driver, who qualified third on the grid, was left disappointed as the Silver Arrows misjudged the unpredictable weather conditions at Circuit Zandvoort.
The rain-soaked race saw unexpected downpours at the start, catching many teams off guard. Russell’s race took an unfortunate turn as Mercedes delayed their tire change, causing him to enter the pits on lap four alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton.
The strategic error left both drivers outside the top-10 positions.
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Despite the challenging circumstances, both drivers managed to make progress through the field before the race was red-flagged due to heavy rain with eight laps remaining.
When racing resumed, Hamilton and Russell found themselves in sixth and eighth places, respectively.
However, Russell’s hopes for a strong finish were dashed when he collided with McLaren’s Lando Norris at Turn 11.
The collision resulted in a puncture, forcing Russell to pit for repairs and ultimately crossing the finish line in 17th place.
Reflecting on the race, Russell expressed his frustration with the team’s tactical misjudgment, particularly regarding the weather conditions.
He highlighted the missed opportunity for a podium finish: “The race was over before it really got started.
“I think the information we had regarding the weather was totally wrong.
“So that was a real shame. A podium was missed.”
Russell emphasised the importance of team discussions to analyse the errors and prevent their recurrence:
“As a team we need to review because we’re getting the information coming in to us and it was misjudged, the weather.
“So, it’s not anything to do with racing or engineering, it was clearly just a weather misinterpretation and that ruined our afternoon.
“So, we really need to look into what happened, why the others decided to pit, what information they maybe had that we didn’t and make sure we don’t make the same mistake again.”
Regarding the collision with Norris, Russell refrained from assigning blame and characterised it as a “racing incident.”
He expressed disappointment about missing a promising opportunity, given the impressive pace of the W14 cars throughout the weekend.
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also acknowledged the team’s errors, admitting that they stayed out on the track for too long during the rain: “We stayed out catastrophically too long, completely wrong.
“And that’s annoying because the car had great pace.”
The Dutch Grand Prix was ultimately won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who secured his ninth consecutive victory, equaling the all-time record.
Verstappen’s dominance extended his lead in the Championship standings, with a substantial 138-point advantage over teammate Sergio Perez.