Forced to give up his second place to Kimi Antonelli at Zandvoort, George Russell saw his title hopes take another hit according to Nico Rosberg.
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George Russell obeyed Mercedes, but the decision could weigh heavily in his fight for the world title. During the Dutch Grand Prix, the Briton had to give up his second place to his teammate Kimi Antonelli in the final laps, even though he himself had expressed his concerns on the radio.
The situation unfolded after Esteban Ocon’s retirement on lap 53 of 72. The resulting virtual safety car allowed Mercedes to pit Antonelli for new soft tires, while Russell remained on track with significantly older tires.
Having quickly caught up with his teammate, Antonelli then found himself in a delicate situation as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were also closing in. Mercedes ultimately asked Russell to let the championship leader pass. A painful decision for the Briton, but perfectly justified according to Nico Rosberg.
Russell feared losing the podium
When Mercedes asked him to yield his position, Russell did not immediately welcome the instruction. The Briton knew that once Antonelli had passed, he would be directly exposed to the two Ferraris with his worn tires.
The stakes therefore went beyond a simple swap of the two Mercedes cars. Russell feared that the team would turn a potential one-two on the podium into a much less favorable result.
“At that moment, it was expected that George would really struggle with pace and that the Ferraris would threaten not only his position, but also Kimi’s if he remained stuck behind George.”
Rosberg thus acknowledges that the Mercedes pit wall had to make a particularly delicate decision.
“It’s really a horrible decision to make. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.”
Russell finally obeyed and let Antonelli pass at the first corner on lap 66.
“In his shoes, it would hurt me immensely”
World champion with Mercedes in 2016, Rosberg is perfectly aware of the psychological consequences such instructions can have when a driver is fighting for the championship himself.
And for Russell, the German believes the situation must have been difficult to accept.
“For George, if I were in his shoes, it would hurt me immensely. It would be a disaster.”
The term used by Rosberg makes perfect sense in the context of the championship. By yielding second place to Antonelli, Russell gave up three additional points to his teammate, while the Italian gained three.
The swap therefore represents a six-point difference between the two men. Russell had, however, gained three units on Antonelli during Saturday’s Sprint.
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A blow to the title race
Before the Zandvoort weekend, 59 points already separated the two Mercedes drivers. Thanks to the Sprint, Russell had momentarily reduced this gap, but the instruction given during the Grand Prix ultimately completely nullified this gain.
Antonelli thus leaves the Netherlands with exactly the same 59 points’ lead over his teammate as when he arrived.
For Russell, who is still trying to stay in the championship fight, every point now counts. It is precisely for this reason that Rosberg understands how difficult the decision can be to digest.
But the former Mercedes driver also knows the team’s internal rules perfectly.
“It’s understandable nonetheless because I know the team’s rules very precisely. Everyone has to respect them.”
Rosberg had experienced the same situation against Hamilton
Rosberg relies notably on his own experience to defend Mercedes. In 2016, while engaged in an extremely tight championship battle against Lewis Hamilton, he himself had received the order to let his teammate pass in Monaco.
A comparable situation, according to him, to the one encountered by Russell at Zandvoort.
“In my time, I had to let Lewis pass once in Monaco when we were fighting each other for the championship.”
The rule applied by Mercedes is simple: when the overall team result is threatened, the individual interests of the drivers take a back seat.
“Here in Zandvoort, it was the same situation: the team’s result was threatened by the two Ferraris behind, so you have to apply team orders and the drivers must respect them.”
Rosberg ultimately agrees with Mercedes
Despite the “disaster” that this decision represents from Russell’s personal point of view, Rosberg therefore believes that Mercedes made the right choice.
“It was fair at that moment because if the team’s result is threatened, then both drivers must race for the team.”
The subsequent events, moreover, proved the pit wall’s gamble right. Antonelli secured his second place while Russell managed to resist Hamilton until the end to retain the third step of the podium.
“I think it was fair play and George did a fantastic job to keep that third place.”
Mercedes thus saved its double podium, but Russell directly pays the price in the championship. 59 points behind Antonelli, the Briton now sees every opportunity to gain points on his teammate becoming increasingly valuable.
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