© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin says the team will “sit down and look at how we need to change our communication to make sure that we don’t confuse the drivers”.
In the closing moments of Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Q2, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were involved in a collision that damaged Lewis’ car.
The two drivers collided when Lewis, who was on a flying lap, attempted to overtake the young Briton. George did not leave any space and forced Lewis off the track, and after the collision Lewis’ front wing picked up damage.
George later explained that he didn’t know Lewis was behind him, and Mercedes said the whole incident happened because of miscommunication.
Now, in Mercedes’ Spanish Grand Prix debrief video, the team’s Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin explains what happened in more detail.
“Put simply, the drivers were trying to find a car finishing a lap to get a slingshot starting the lap themselves,” the Briton said.
“That would give them more straight-line speed and you can find around a tenth, maybe a little bit more, on the straight.
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“The car that was finishing its lap then peels in and they can then conduct the rest of their lap in clear air.
“The issue, put very simply, was that George and Lewis both tried to pick up [Carlos] Sainz as that slingshot.
“Lewis got on to the back of him around Turn 10. As he then came around to start the lap, George was waiting because he knew that Sainz was coming, not realising that Lewis was just behind.”
Shovlin then said Mercedes will hold discussions to prevent such a situation from happening again.
“Now, at the track in Barcelona, we were very keen to make sure we focused on the race itself, not to worry about what went wrong in qualifying.
“Now that we are back here at the factory, we will sit down and look at how we need to change our communication to make sure that we don’t confuse the drivers by not giving them the whole picture,” he concluded.
