© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
George Russell says Mercedes had “such a fast car” at the Dutch Grand Prix, and “for about a quarter of a lap” he thought he was “on for a great result”.
George Russell qualified for the Dutch Grand Prix in P3, but in the race, under changing weather conditions, Mercedes was slow to switch tyre compounds, and this ultimately prevented them from getting a great result.
At one point in the race, when it became obvious that Mercedes was late to switch to intermediate tyres, George went on the team radio and asked:
“I was forecast for a podium? F**k, how did we mess this up?”
After the race, George explained the team thought the rain would last only for a few minutes, but they were wrong.
“We were expecting the rain to stay for one or two minutes, but it ended up staying for close to 10 minutes,” he said.
“It was ready for intermediate tyres but I thought I could brave it out for a lap or two more, if it was only going to be one or two minutes more of rain. It obviously wasn’t.
“I think we’d rather have a fast car and a bad day, then the opposite. But, a missed opportunity.”
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
In the end, George was forced to retire his car, after he picked up a puncture while battling Lando Norris for P7.
“It was when we were side by side, into the chicane, after a lap. It was obviously for a few points. Bit of a shame.”
Ultimately, George says the good news is that Mercedes had “a fast car”.
“We had such a fast car today. All the decisions, and the weather, went against us. We need to look into what we could’ve done better. We clearly missed a big opportunity today.
“For about a quarter of a lap, I thought I was on for a great result, at the start when I got into the lead.
“With the information I had, I thought the others made the wrong decision by pitting. So that was fun while it lasted.
“We got it wrong today but there are positives,” Russell concluded.
