As the Dutch GP was about to kick off, Toto Wolff showed confidence in George Russell’s driving abilities by stating the driver would be able to secure P2 with ease. After a strong start off the blocks, things quickly went downhill for the Mercedes driver as he found himself struggling at the back of the grid. Russell was furious at his team and asked for accountability from his team during the race itself.
Just as the cars started with the formation lap, rain started pouring in, sending each team’s strategies down the gutter. Mercedes called Russell to box two laps into the race. By that time, the 25-year-old had lost most of his pace owing to a wet track. Thus, the Briton found himself rallying at the back of the grid by the time he had optimum tires for the conditions.
Not only did Russell lose out on a potential podium finish, but the team also cost themselves a good chunk of points in the constructor’s championships.
George Russell left furious with his team’s strategy
As the race raged on, George Russell, struggling in P18 at one point, resorted to radio communication to let out his anger and frustration over a botched team strategy. He asked for accountability from his team after finding himself on the wrong end of the grid after being forecast as a favorite to land a podium finish.
“I was forecast for a podium? F***, how did we mess this up?”
After a shocking qualifying session that saw Lewis Hamilton get out of Q2, a dismal performance during the race led to a horrible weekend for the Brackley-based outfit.
A disappointing return to racing for Mercedes
Heading into Sunday, Mercedes already saw a loss of points with Lewis Hamilton not qualifying in the top ten for the Dutch GP. All hopes then lay on the shoulders of George Russell to bring home a positive result for the team. With George Russell also losing big on points, the team might see a deficit of 15 or more points from what they earlier projected.
Two pitstops one right after the other: Perez: 2.4s, Lewis: 3.1s. In a sport where every tenth of a second matters, that is very lousy, yet sadly attracts very little attention from Mercedes. #F1 #DutchGP
— Simon Dau (@there_is_no_if) August 27, 2023
While the Mercedes drivers struggled in Zandvoort, the most experienced driver on the grid had a field day on the track. Fernando Alonso started the race at P5, but thanks to some impressive driving, the Spaniard found himself in the podium place in the first lap itself. He even led the race at one point before boxing for a new set of tires.
Given the stark difference in performances, Mercedes might be looking at a huge hit in points, which will also affect their ambitions to secure P2 in the constructor’s championships.
