Mercedes admits slow swap decision cost team dearly in Mexico

Mercedes has held its hands up, admitting it hesitated too long before deciding to swap George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli in last weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, a delay that cost both drivers a shot at a stronger finish.

What began as a tactical puzzle quickly turned into a missed opportunity, with Russell urging the pit wall to let him through to chase down Haas’ Oliver Bearman, while Antonelli was managing his tyres for a potential one-stop strategy.

But by the time the Mercedes pitwall gave the green light, the moment – and Russell’s tyre life – had already slipped away.

The Squeeze, the Pleas, and the Painful Pause

“It was a really tricky situation,” admitted Bradley Lord, Mercedes’ communications chief, in the team’s post-race debrief.

“We had Kimi driving in a way to manage his tyres, managing to a one-stop and doing exactly what was being asked of him.”

“George was obviously under pressure from Piastri, closing up and very much feeling that squeeze between Kimi in front who was managing everything quite carefully, waiting for either Bearman’s tyres to drop off in front to be able to take advantage of that, or for an undercut if we were to convert to a two-stop because it was right on the limit.

“George was obviously coming up from behind, closing that gap and then in the dirty air, using more of his tyres because of that and also feeling that he had pace to get past.“

“So it did take a while to figure that out because we, initially, as a team, would let our drivers race and that’s what our racing intent calls for.

“We did eventually decide to swap and I think in hindsight regardless of whether we decided to hold position or swap it was the delay that was the thing that didn’t work out for us.”

The delay was the dagger. By the time Russell finally slipped past, his tyres were “past their best,” transforming a hunter into the hunted. Piastri pounced, demoting both Mercedes machines and snatching the spotlight.

Lessons from the Thin-Air Tangle

“It was very difficult to overtake in Mexico with the low downforce, very difficult with the dirty air phenomenon that seems more penalising now than at any part of these rules since 2022,” added Lord.

“So it was a tricky situation and we probably didn’t get everything right in how we managed it.

“The lesson is really that we should have been more decisive either in asking to hold position or swapping the positions rather than waiting the time we did.”

Antonelli, who was handed the place back to finish a frustrated sixth ahead of Russell, echoed the sentiment, lamenting a “missed opportunity to take fourth.”

The rookie’s tyre-saving masterclass kept him in the fight, but the strategic stutter cost the team a shot at Bearman and a buffer against the papaya surge.

“Mercedes heads to the next round with a clear memo: in the knife-edge world of modern F1, hesitation is the real enemy. Next time the radio crackles with a driver plea, expect the call to come lightning-fast – or risk another round of Monday-morning mea culpas.

Read also: Russell explains Mexico GP radio fury amid missed podium chance

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