George Russell, Mercedes driver, has acknowledged that the team’s decision to swap positions with his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the end of the Dutch Grand Prix of Formula 1 was ‘the right decision’, considering that both were fighting for second place behind the winner Lando Norris.
Russell and Antonelli were positioned second and fourth when a virtual safety car was activated due to an incident with Esteban Ocon, adding an unexpected twist to an already exciting race in Zandvoort.
With the VSC, Lewis Hamilton took the opportunity to pit and change to soft tires, prompting Mercedes to pull Antonelli to defend against the Ferrari undercut. The team then opted to keep Russell on the track, ensuring he finished ahead of Hamilton.
However, on older hard tires, Russell soon felt the pressure from Antonelli. The order to let his teammate through came quickly, and although Russell complied, he expressed doubts about the move while battling for a podium finish.
A new VSC allowed Russell to defend his third position against Hamilton, thus securing a double podium for Mercedes. Despite being overtaken by McLaren in the last two races, Russell ended up acknowledging that the swap had been fair, as Antonelli could have passed him anyway with faster tires.
‘Kimi was in front of me so he deserved to finish first,’ Russell said. ‘Sometimes, during the race, you want to fight for every position. But with the pace I had, it’s likely he would have overtaken me anyway so it was the right decision. I’m happy to be on the podium after a while; it’s been a strong weekend and that’s a good sign.’
Antonelli, for his part, thanked Russell for his cooperation and acknowledged McLaren’s improvements in the last races. ‘George was a great team player and I feel very happy that he was able to hold P3,’ said the Italian, who maintains his championship lead ahead of Hamilton.
‘It was a very intense race and I got the lead. In the first stint I felt good, but then I struggled with a lack of contact with the car. When Lando passed me, I knew I wouldn’t have any opportunities after that. We need to find a bit of time, as McLaren has made a big leap forward.’
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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