Frustrated Russell at odds with ‘painful’ Mercedes pitstop call

George Russell cast a frustrated figure after Sunday’s Sao Paulo GP, a race he believes might have gone differently had he been allowed to trust his instincts over a pivotal strategy call from the Mercedes pit wall.

Russell, who had stormed into the lead at the start, was instructed to pit at the outset of a virtual safety car that quickly transitioned into a red flag, a decision he disagreed with in the heat of the moment, telling his team that he wanted to stay out.

The Briton believed that he was in a prime position to capitalize on the challenging wet conditions and that staying out would ensure that he would lead the restart and battle thereafter for at least a spot on the podium.

Alas, the decision to pit derailed a race that he ultimately concluded in fourth position behind race winner Max Verstappen and the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.

“Very painful all things considered, not much I want to say really,” commented a visibly frustrated Russell who nevertheless shed some light on his team’s ill-advised strategy call.

“It was 'box'. I said 'stay out'. It was 'box' again, it was 'stay out', I said. And they said 'box' again. As I said, 'I want to stay out'. And then the last one, you’ve got to go for it...” he explained.

Read also:

• São Paulo GP: Verstappen triumphs in rain-hit Brazil thriller

“Sometimes you have to trust your gut. Last time I trusted my gut [at last summer’s Belgian GP], it went down pretty well.

“Today, who knows if we could have won the race? But if we didn't pit, we would have been leading at the restart and the first 30 laps controlling the pace.

“With Lando behind us, we had very good straightline speed as well. P2 would have been a minimum.”

Russell noted that the drivers who stayed out had the advantage of the red flag, which allowed them to change tyres without a pit loss. The Briton also argued that his position in the car gave him a clearer understanding of the track conditions and the impending red flag.

“From a team's perspective, it's not obvious at all,” he added.

“From the cockpit, it was very clear it was going to be a red flag or safety car, because the conditions were undriveable. The rain was not easing. I could see the big black cloud above me.”

He added that it was Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, who ultimately overruled his initial desire to remain on the track.

“And then I had Shov jump on as, like, overruling my engineer to say 'box'. We're working as a team, we're trying to make the best decisions in the time.

“Clearly the guys who didn't pit, they finished 1-2-3 and we finished the highest of the drivers who did. So I would take a small slice of satisfaction from that.”

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter