– Mercedes has apparently analyzed its controversial team order at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort once again in more detail and remains convinced that the decision to let Kimi Antonelli pass George Russell in the final phase was necessary to get both onto the podium.
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“Honestly, it seemed like a good decision,” emphasizes Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord in the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show on Friday. Already in the Mercedes debrief video, chief race engineer Andrew Shovlin had explained the background of the team order.
Because when Esteban Ocon (Haas) triggered a virtual safety car by retiring in lap 55, Antonelli, who was in second place at that time, as well as the two Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc came in for another tire change.
Only Russell stayed out, which initially pushed the Briton up to second place. However, on fresher soft tires, Antonelli quickly caught up again, so Russell received the instruction to let his Mercedes teammate pass.
Despite initial reservations, Russell complied with the team order shortly thereafter and spent the rest of the race defending his third place against the two Ferrari drivers. Antonelli, however, could no longer catch winner Lando Norris (McLaren) and had to settle for second place.
George Russell initially skeptical, then understanding
“George naturally asked the question and in a way put it to a stress test when he first received the radio message,” Lord recalls the Briton’s skeptical inquiry. “But then he understood the bigger picture, that with Kimi we had taken advantage of the chance for a free pit stop under the VSC.”
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“If George had made the same stop, he would have fallen behind one of the Ferraris and would have given up that podium place anyway. Ultimately, it really depends on what was discussed beforehand and how clearly it is regulated how the team will act.”
Previously, there had been the instruction that the Mercedes drivers had to work together. “We were very clear in that strategy meeting on Sunday morning that it was too tight for us to afford to lose any time at all by our two drivers fighting each other and costing each other time.”
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“That then formed the basis for the decision,” adds the deputy team principal. “And I think it can be said with good reason: If it had been the other way around, we would have done exactly the same to give ourselves the best chance of second place and to give the third-placed car a free run and the best chance to hold the position as well.”
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Why Antonelli should not help his teammate
In fact, the Silver Arrows even considered using Antonelli as a tow for Russell to give the Briton additional slipstream and the overtake mode. However, Mercedes decided against it because the possible advantage would have been rather small, while at the same time the risk was high that the plan would backfire.
“We had the conversation and there was a small debate,” reveals Shovlin. “In the end, we concluded that it doesn’t bring a massive gain in lap time. It’s two tenths. And to be honest, those two tenths are on the straight. So that’s probably the place where you will be most vulnerable.”
“There was also the concern that the cars could get in each other’s way if we tried to execute a complex maneuver that we haven’t practiced. Since there isn’t a huge time or speed advantage on this track, we thought it was the better solution to give George a free run and just let Kimi make way.”
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“This gives George the best chance for a good corner exit and an optimal braking point; because with today’s cars you can’t follow directly behind at a gap of two tenths of a second. So a Ferrari could only have overtaken him if it had made up massive ground on the exit of the last corner or braked extremely late.”
George Russell benefits from the virtual safety car
Shovlin explicitly praised Russell for his defensive work in the final laps, with which he secured a double podium for Mercedes and moved up to second place in the drivers’ championship – level on points with Hamilton but placed ahead of his compatriot thanks to the higher number of wins.
“Honestly, it’s a really impressive performance from George. You might not even have given him a 50 percent chance of keeping both behind him. It was quite possible that one of them would find a way past,” said Shovlin.
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In fact, the chase by the Ferrari drivers was slowed down again shortly before the end by a virtual safety car, which proved to be a stroke of luck for Russell. “Maybe we also had a bit of luck with the VSC phase,” admits the engineer, “which took some pressure off the situation for one or two laps so that he could manage his energy reserves.”
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