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• George Russell was set to win the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
• A pitfall and a puncture cost him his chance to win.
• Russell could have another chance to win a race next weekend in Abu Dhabi.
• For more motorsports stories, visit www.Wheels24.co.za
It was something no one could have foreseen: George Russell lost his first Formula 1 victory due to a mistake by the mighty Mercedes-AMG team. Taking advantage of a “free” pit stop and fitting a set of new tires for both drivers on lap 61 of 87, the team somehow got it wrong and put Valtteri Bottas’ tires on Russell’s car. A lap later Russell returned to the pits for the team to put the proper tires on his car.
The most challenging part to understand was how Mercedes, who took this year’s championship in every respect, could have made such a monumental mistake.
Right on the button
Having qualified second for the Sakhir Grand Prix, just 0.026 seconds behind Bottas in first place, Russell was ready to make the most of the opportunity he was given. The Williams driver was recruited as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes after the 2020 champion caught Covid-19. Russell had big shoes to fill, but he was on pace for the three practice sessions leading up to qualifying. Merc’s decision to bring in its future driver has paid off. And he did.
When the race started, Russell edged out Bottas and took the lead. He would keep that advantage and go on his merry way in great comfort. Even after the first round of pit stops, Russell was still in the lead.
But on lap 61, Russell’s replacement at Williams, Jack Aitken, spun out of the last corner and lost his front wing after hitting the wall. This prompted the safety car and several drivers, including Russell and Bottas, to visit the pits in search of a set of new tires. The team stacked both drivers twice, but the pit crew put Bottas’ front tires on Russell’s car. And Bottas, in the confusion, rejoined the race with the same set of tires with which he entered the pits. Russell had to pit again on the next lap to get the correct tires fitted to his car, and rejoined the race in fifth place, behind Sergio Pérez (Racing Point), Esteban Ocon (Renault), Lance Stroll ( Racing Point) and Bottas.
What are your thoughts on Merc’s pit stop mistake that cost Russell a possible win? Email us or post your thoughts in the comment section below.
Ongoing problems
Unfortunately for Russell, his career would go from bad to worse. When the safety car returned to the pits and the race resumed, Russell did quick work with the three drivers in front of him and got ready to dispatch Pérez. Suddenly, he received a call on the radio from Russell informing him that he has a slow puncture in the left rear tire. Once again Russell had to make a pit stop, which saw him rejoin the race outside of the top 10.
But because he was driving the most superior car on the grid this year, in fact the fastest car in F1 history, he was able to fight his way to ninth place and score an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race. race. Russell recorded the first (three) points of his F1 career, but lost a sure victory. Through no fault of his own, Russell was the receiver for one of the worst weekends the Mercedes team had ever had.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, said after the race that a radio failure caused tire confusion. Sky Sports F1 quotes him as if to say, “One of the tire crews didn’t hear the call. We had a radio failure in the garage, and when the car got in, they didn’t know we had to change the wrong tires or tires, and that’s why we came out with the wrong set of tires. Technical failures occur, that was not human error. “
If Mercedes had hit Russell’s tire call, the driver would have hit the track with the correct set of tires. This would have seen him 1) lead the race and 2) possibly prevent him from getting a flat. If Hamilton is unable to compete in the season finale next weekend, Russell will again replace the affected driver. Then hopefully you will have a weekend to remember.
