Back
Toto Wolff has confirmed Mercedes will investigate the balance issues that both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli complained about in Brazil. The Silver Arrows clinched the Constructors’ Championship at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with Russell coming home fourth ahead of Antonelli in fifth. But both could’ve finished higher had they not spun out amid some tricky conditions at Interlagos. Russell found himself the wrong way in the pitlane exit on lap 14, while Antonelli ended up off the track at Turn 1 on lap 17, with the Italian admitting he had no clue he was going to lose control.
More rain towards the end of the race gave the pair hope they could reclaim a podium spot, but the intermediate tyre had both drivers stumped as they failed to challenge Isack Hadjar for third.
Their team will now look to get to the bottom of the issue. Wolff said: “Both reported a very, very strange behaviour of the car, like something’s broken on the suspension or too much pressure in the tyres.
“And whilst it was not only them, because Max [Verstappen] said the same thing, I believe that we’ve gotten something wrong on pressures or on the set-up because also now looking at the cars, the rear tyres are completely worn. The fronts are like new, so there’s something which we haven’t spotted.
Big moments. Packed grandstands. A championship battle that’s heating up.
When the Formula 1 season delivers like this, watching from home just isn’t the same as being there when the lights go out.
With Gullivers Sports Travel, you can experience the most iconic races on the Formula 1 calendar LIVE! Enjoy tickets, handpicked hotels, and seamless travel with one of the UK’s leading sports travel specialists.
“But then at times in the race we were absolutely flying. So we are walking away with an interesting exercise to find out what it was, but with a positive mindset after winning the Constructors’ Championship.”
Russell offered up one theory. When asked why their competitiveness dropped away in the final stint, he replied: “We really don’t know.
“I was quite excited when the rain was coming, but then Kimi and I had absolutely no pace. So we need to understand why that was.
“There’s maybe a small theory because we were the first onto the inter that even just on that out lap on the driest track, you damage the tyres and the temps go up and you’re in this negative spiral. As of now, that’s the only explanation.”
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.