George Russell Argues He Lost Nothing in Choosing Soft Tires for Sprint Race as His Estimation Provides Unaffected Picture for Mercedes

George Russell almost had a memorable Saturday as starting from P4 on soft tires, the Brit rapidly climbed to P1. However, as the laps progressed, his W14 tires deteriorated. Three other drivers who shared something in common eventually surpassed Russell. It was the medium tires that all three Piastri, Verstappen, and Norris had, leading them to overtake the 25-year-old. However, anyone in that space of mind could have regretted their decision, but Russell didn’t. Since the Brit believed the medium would have done him no good.

At the Sprint of Qatar GP, when Russell had a decent outing while driving on the soft rubber, many might have pondered why the soft tires, despite being the fastest, weren’t the best choice. Because of their superior grip, soft compounds are frequently the fastest in F1, but they do have a drawback. They wear out quickly, making them unsuitable for long-distance racing.

Although at Qatar, the Sprint was merely 19 laps, the tires couldn’t bear the high degradation. The motorist who chose to race on red tires lost a lot of time after the tenth bend. However, near the conclusion of the race, the middle riders began to lose time as well, indicating that the track characteristics had a significant impact on the tires. Aside from the significant degradation and stunning Piastri triumph, the Qatar race featured three safety cars in 19 laps. However, Russell argues that despite losing sudden positions, he has lost nothing.

George Russell explains the alternative strategy

According to Soymotor.com, George Russell indicated that even if he had chosen a different strategy to go with the soft tires, nothing would have changed the outcome. While clarifying, he expressed his surprise at the degradation. Russell, on the other hand, also believes he got lucky owing to the intervention of the safety cars.

 

Later, he highlighted that the alternative strategy wouldn’t have made any difference. The 25-year-old said, ” That’s what can happen during a Sprint weekend where you have little practice and limited tire knowledge. So, if we had come out with the middle, we would have finished fourth too. In the end, we didn’t win or lose anything.”

Though Mercedes missed out on a handful of points at the Sprint, the Silver Arrows have Sunday to make up for it.

Russell and Lewis Hamilton seek to make up for the Sprint in Qatar’s Main GP

In the Sprint race, Russell began fourth, while Lewis Hamilton started 12th. Though the 7x champ finished fifth after failing to qualify for SQ3, his performance over the weekend will undoubtedly help him keep him confident for the race tonight.

On top of that, Hamilton will start the main GP from third place, and his teammate Russell will start from the front row alongside pole-sitter Max Verstappen. Silver Arrows’ advanced position might give them a chance to finish on the podium.

Being upbeat about the race and their performance, Russell stated that Hamilton and himself “are going to have to work together to make sure we get a strong result for the team.” While the 7x champion added, “ We should seek to fight to maintain that position. We know it will be difficult to keep the McLarens behind. They are a little bit further behind, so we will do our best to achieve this. We will give everything we have as always.”

Both drivers for the Brackley-based squad have stayed determined to capture crucial points. Considering that Ferrari is only 20 points behind the German manufacturers, the battle for P2 will only intensify with any small mistake made. Something neither of the Mercedes team members wants.