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Toto Wolf after the end of the Sakhira Grand Prix explained the reasons for the chaos that was occurring in the Mercedes team pits during the pit stops on lap 59 and led the team to lose a highly probable double in the race.
As soon as the judges announced that the safety car entered the track, the team decided to change both cars on the same lap. Both teams of mechanics (Russell’s group and Bottas’s group) were simultaneously given the command to prepare the corresponding sets of tires for the pit stop and take them to the pit lane.
The first to appear in the pits was George Russell, who was leading the race, and it was the mechanics who worked on his car who were going to be the first to bring the tires to the locker room. However, due to interruptions in radio communications, they did not hear the command given on the radio. And in the hands of the mechanics preparing for the pit stop were the front tires destined for Valtteri Bottas.
These tires were installed on Russell’s car along with the correct rear tires, after which the British driver was back on track. Consequently, when Bottas approached the mechanics, the mechanics began to put the rubber prepared for Russell on the front axle of his car. But at that point, some of the team members already realized that they had made a mistake and were able to prevent the Finn from leaving the boxes with the wrong tires.
Bottas had to do without changing his shoes and finish the race on the same tires with which he arrived in the pits. The Finnish driver therefore not only lost time directly in the pit lane, but also lost the opportunity to make up for losses by overtaking in the final laps, due to the fact that the tires were already completely worn.
Russell had to be called to the pitstop again – driving on “other people’s” tires is a violation of sports regulations, and if allowed, it should be removed as soon as possible. The second time the Briton got his “own” tires, but the judges will continue to examine the team’s error.
Update: as a result of the procedures, Mercedes was fined 20 thousand euros, the results of the race were not reviewed.
How much a pit stop was needed at the time of the safety car’s departure; after all, at the time the Mercedes drivers were leading the race with confidence. Toto Wolf admitted that the tire sets on Russell’s and Bottas’s cars made it possible to get to the finish line without a hitch, and the team called the riders to the pits, wanting to play it safe. At the same time, the Mercedes boss still doesn’t consider the decision to make additional pit stops a mistake.
