Mercedes’ pace was shocking at the Sao Paulo GP as both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were slower than most of their competitors. Following this, Fernando Alonso’s race engineer gave an appropriate description of the situation the Silver Arrows were facing.
After being bogged down at the start, Alonso made his way into P3 and after settling down into the race, asked his engineer about what had happened with the Mercedes. His engineer summed up his answer in just two words, “They’re dying.”
Alonso radio: “What happened to Mercedes?”
His engineer: “They’re dying.”
— formularacers (@formularacers_) November 5, 2023
Hamilton managed to get off to a good start, getting as high up as P3. However, after the red flag restart, the Briton seemed to lose all of his performance, and by the time the drivers had settled down into a rhythm, the 38-year-old was already down to P8.
The Mercedes star tried to attack Lando Norris into turn 1 during the restart, only to lock up his tire. Following this, Alonso overtook him into the very next turn. From then on, Hamilton’s positions started to fall like dominoes.
Thank God it’s over.
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) November 5, 2023
The seven-time world champion finally managed to come home in P8, with only 4 points to his name. This would make a huge dent in his championship fight for P2 against Sergio Perez as the Red Bull driver managed to claim P4 and increased his gap to Hamilton in the standings by 8 more points.
Things go from bad to worse for Mercedes
The struggles did not end there for Mercedes as the other car of George Russell also had a disastrous outing. While he managed to hold onto his starting position of P8 for quite some time, the young Briton could not take the chequered flag in Brazil.
Lewis finishes the São Paulo GP in P8. George was forced to retire with PU issues. pic.twitter.com/3ete80SdtA
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 5, 2023
While following Hamilton in P8 on lap 58, Russell suddenly slowed down and was passed by Yuki Tsunoda. He was then instructed to come into the pits and retire his car. The team explained that the power unit oil temperature was getting higher and higher and there was a risk of an imminent engine failure.
Overall, the Silver Arrows had a day to forget in Sao Paulo. With F1 heading to Las Vegas next, the Brackley outfit would be keen to make a comeback and finish the season on a high.
