The Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend was an eventful one. George Russell was the saving grace for Mercedes this season. Almost having ended the year in a winless season, Russell made swift moves that bagged a win for the team after all.
This weekend was a special one for the Silver Arrows. Not only was this their first win of the season, but also the very first win of the talented George Russell. Russell started the main race at pole after having won the sprint earlier.
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He finished the main race in P1, much to Mercedes’ surprise, considering Russell‘s car lacked water due to a leak. Toto Wolff shared how the team went about dealing with the situation at hand.
In an interview post the race, Mercedes’ main man, Toto Wolff, shared the dilemma behind Russell’s car. He said, “We had a water leak on the car throughout the race, and it wasn’t clear that we could actually make it to the end.”
Toto explained that the team speculated on the possibility of Russell running out of water just a few laps before the finish line. Considering the inevitable situation, the team decided to keep the matter under wraps from George Russell.
Toto shared, “All agreed we’re going to let him drive to the end even without water, on whatever was there to cool it, and just try to finish the race.”
Toto Wolff further explained the team strategy for the Brazilian Grand Prix
Mercedes believed in fair play when it came to George Russell vs Lewis Hamilton
The Silver Arrows team principal, Toto Wolff, exclaimed that Mercedes is a fair team. Despite Lewis Hamilton being a seven-time world champion, the team is not in favor of one over the other. They believe in ‘free racing,’ assured the Mercedes man.
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He said, “As a team, we always stood for free racing, and we have never done otherwise, unless a driver is mathematically not in contention any more for a championship and the other one is.”
“We were actually looking forward to them racing on par with the same tyre, and we discussed it this morning in the strategy meeting,” he said, in conclusion.
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George Russell came to Mercedes’ rescue this season. However, with his consistent growth, will Mercedes teammates, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, be looking at a battle with each other in the upcoming season?