Russell: Mercedes doesn’t use team tactics

Before the race weekend at Monza, George Russell was asked to comment on the Dutch Grand Prix, where the Mercedes team tried to fight for the win, although the Red Bull Racing car is still faster.

George Russell: “Every car has its strengths and weaknesses. Even if you take Red Bull, at Spa and Zandvoort, the efficiency of their car was different, although the RB18 allowed them to fight for wins in both cases. But when they’re at their peak, they’re a second faster than everyone else on each lap.

In our case, the difference in form is more noticeable: counting on a maximum of 5th or 6th place is one thing, and another to claim the victory, like last weekend. If we manage to improve the efficiency of the W13 overall, we will, like Red Bull, be able to fight for high results even on a bad weekend.

I don’t think it’s just the concept of our car. We are analyzing everything in detail and trying to understand why we were more competitive in Zandvoort than in Spa, and the conclusions the team will draw will help us in the future.”

Mercedes’ tactics in the Dutch Grand Prix raised questions, and Russell Lewis Hamilton was ahead of that when he got new tires, unlike the seven-time world champion, who decided to keep the team on track. At Monza, George was asked if he would be willing to act as a buffer of sorts if asked to hedge a partner in Mercedes.

“We always try to get the best possible results, both for ourselves and for the team,” he replied. – I want to be as high up as possible, and if we both stayed on the track and there was a chance to fight for the win, I would use it.

But if Max were behind us on fresh tires and riding third, I would do anything to stop him. But at Mercedes they don’t use team tactics, we don’t have a number 1 driver and no number 2 driver, we have absolutely the same status as Lewis, but that’s how it should be.”