A disappointed George Russell has called on Mercedes to review its “weather misinterpretation” that cost him a potential podium in the Dutch Grand Prix.
From third on the grid, Russell was fully expecting to fight it out for a top-three position at Zandvoort, only for Mercedes to misread the conditions that rolled in just as the 72-lap race started.
By the end of the first lap, the rain had grown to such an intensity that a number of drivers made a call to immediately switch to intermediates, whilst others carried on through to the end of the second lap.
Mercedes, however, kept Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton out on track in the belief the squall would pass more than quickly eventually proved to be the case.
When the duo eventually did pit, they dropped to the back of the pack, prompting Russell to declare over the radio: “I was forecast for a podium! ****! How did we mess this up?”
The Briton went on to produce a recovery drive on the hard tyre that propelled him back into the points when a torrential downpour sparked a 46-minute red-flag delay.
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Upon the resumption, Russell tangled with McLaren’s Lando Norris, sustaining a puncture that dropped him to the rear again, and a 17th-place finish, last of those who were classified.
Analysing post-race, Russell said: “The race was over before it really got started.
“The information we had regarding the weather was totally wrong. We thought the rain was going to last for a couple of minutes, and it clearly lasted for longer. So that was a real shame, a podium was missed.
“We then made a good recovery, but then I had contact with Lando, an unfortunate racing incident causing a puncture. Disappointing because we had a fast race car.”
Asked as to whether he needed to have a conversation with the team with regard to what transpired in the opening stages, Russell added: “As a team, we need to review because we’re getting the information coming into us, and the weather was misjudged.
“It’s not anything to do with racing or engineering, it was clearly just a weather misinterpretation, and that ruined our afternoon.
“So we really need to look into what happened, why the others decided to pit, what information they maybe had that we didn’t, and make sure we don’t make the same mistake again.”
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was the first to pit, making his own call rather than the team, a position Russell could have adopted.
But the fact he was informed the rain would only last for a very short period proved decisive.
“They told me it was going to be two minutes, and I could manage for two minutes in those conditions,” said Russell.
“But it just got heavier and heavier and lasted for 10 minutes. It’s a joint effort. It was a real shame, to be honest, that it happened this way, but we live and learn.”
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