P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Wolff reveals Mercedes data showed they’d finish 1-2 after second pit stop
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton made a second pit stop late in the race while in second and fourth positions respectively, as they were unable to overtake their rivals on track. They changed to fresh medium tyres and quickly passed Charles Leclerc before catching up with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. However, due to tactical driving from Sainz, they were unable to overtake Norris and had to settle for third and fourth going into the last lap. Hamilton finished in third place, but Russell unfortunately crashed out on the final lap. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed his satisfaction with Hamilton’s podium finish and praised his performance, but expressed disappointment for Russell who put in a lot of effort. Wolff acknowledged that Mercedes had no chance of winning the race if they stayed out during the virtual safety car period, so they decided to go for it and take the risk. Ultimately, they ended up on the podium and Wolff believed it was the right decision to make.
Source: Crash
