Mercedes’ Qatar GP started on a horrible note. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton started from P2 and P3, but after the first turn, Russell went down to the last position, whereas Hamilton was forced to retire from the race. This was because of a collision between the two, sparking rumors of internal conflict between the drivers. Now, as per GP Blog, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner seems to point in the same direction.
Russell started the Qatar GP on medium compound tires, compared to Hamilton’s soft. They both had equal reaction times, but Hamilton had a better start, because of the better grip his tire provided. However, he went for a very ambitious move on the outside of Russell, who had nowhere to turn because of Max Verstappen’s presence on his right.
A disconsolate Lewis Hamilton walks back to the pits as team mate George Russell circulates behind after their Turn 1 collision #F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/YvqxadsOqt
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2023
Consequently, Hamilton spun out, took damage, and retired from the race. The seven-time world champion did admit his mistake, and Russell too seems to have moved on. Horner, however, brought this up after the race, talking about how teammates have to give each other space.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell should have given each other space
Hamilton was apologetic to Russell and the entire team following the crash that took him out of the race. Initially, it was seen as a huge blow because of the Stevenage-born driver’s hopes of catching Sergio Perez who is P2 in the standings.
Perez’s boss, Horner, now talks about the crash between Hamilton and Russell, which was reminiscent of the former’s infamous shunt with Nico Rosberg in 2016. As per GP Blog, Horner said,
“I mean, I’m sure you never want to see that as a team. All you always ask of your teammates is to give each other space and it didn’t seem like it happened today. I am sure they have their own internal discussion about that.”
No hard feelings. We’re here to fight and maximise for the team. We misjudged it today, but our car was exceptionally strong and I’m proud of the whole team. Time to regroup and continue building off the strong pace in Austin 👊 pic.twitter.com/dl0RlLYYzT
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) October 8, 2023
Mercedes did have their own internal discussion about it. Hamilton, almost immediately, took blame for what happened. Plus, although Russell’s race was affected, he has taken nothing personally, and vows to keep fighting in the remaining five races.
Mercedes’ final push before the season ends
2023 has been disappointing for Mercedes, considering their otherwise lofty standards. Once again, they don’t have a race-winning car. Still, they have managed to climb up to P2 in the standings, and have to be at their best in the closing stages.
A resurgent Ferrari, a charging McLaren and a wounded Aston Martin outfit seem to be right on their tail. Nevertheless, Ferrari’s proximity to Mercedes makes them their only real rival in the last few races.
