George Russell said he was „not fazed” by losing sixth place to team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after Mercedes brought him to a late pit stop.
Hamilton passed Yuki Tsunoda at the start to move up to seventh and directly behind Russell, who changed his medium tires for a hard compound at the end of lap 21.
Hamilton stayed out for six more rounds in the 63-lap race.
When Russell’s tires went flat, leaving him in danger of being overtaken by Hamilton, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez stayed out too long and then pitted, so Mercedes decided to bring him in so he came out in front. Mexican.
Highlights from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.
Hamilton would earn eight points for finishing sixth, while Russell earned six points for seventh and an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race on his new tires.
„You’re never going to be happy with P6 and P7,” Russell told Sky Sports F1.
„At the end of the day, as a team we got an extra point. I lost my position to Lewis, but I’m not going to worry about losing a P6.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained why he was told Hamilton would not allow him to finish sixth again during a discussion on team radio before Russell stopped.
Ted Kravitz runs all the major talking points from Imola in the Emilia Romagna paddock.
„His lap times were getting slower and slower and our prediction was that he wasn’t going to make it to the end and we didn’t want to lose position to Perez,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
„Lewis probably would have taken him anyway. We were racing for P6 and P7 and wanted to keep Red Bull behind. It was a safety call.”
Hamilton and Russell: We are in no man’s land
Mercedes were well off the pace of world championship leader Max Verstappen, who held off Lando Norris for victory after a late charge from the McLaren driver.
Charles Leclerc took the final podium place for Ferrari, with his team-mate Carlos Sainz fifth behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastre.
„This is where we are right now,” Russell added. „Behind the Ferraris and McLarens, there’s nobody in front of the midfield.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell claimed that Mercedes had found their 'North Star’ ahead of the Emilia Romagna GP.
„Everyone is still motivated, the morale hasn’t dropped at all, which is very encouraging. Everyone is doing it and trying to improve it.
„Everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is going full throttle now, which is great to see. We just have to keep pushing.
„At the end of the day, we maximized it.”
Hamilton, who will leave Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari, gave his teammate a similar assessment.
„We got the points, that’s a positive,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
„We’re in the middle of no man’s land, but I think it was a strong finish for us. I don’t think we have much more to give.”
Wolff: We do steps
Mercedes have endured a miserable start to their 2024 campaign after failing to design a championship-contending car for the third year of Formula 1’s latest design regulations.
They have amassed just 79 points from the opening seven rounds and are already 189 points behind Red Bull.
Toto Wolff gives an insight into what was discussed at the group presidents’ dinner in Imola.
The upgrades they brought to Miami and Imola seem to have given them a bit more stability, but they’ve accepted they won’t be able to compete with the front-runners until their next upgrade arrives at some point in the summer.
„You can’t see us making steps to where we want the car to be,” Wolff added.
„We’re 30-plus seconds faster guys, that’s a lot. P6 and P7 is nothing to be proud of.
„You can hear the frustration in my voice, but there’s more to come, and it’s an increase we have to make, some profit. That’s how the game goes.”
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