P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Russell: Soft tyre choice for F1 Qatar sprint was not “stupid”
The Sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix saw George Russell start on the soft tires from fourth on the grid. He initially made good progress, overtaking drivers on the medium tires to take the lead. However, his tires began to degrade, and he eventually fell back to fourth place. Russell defended the strategic decision, stating that they believed the soft tires would perform similarly to the medium tires and that they needed data for the main race. He also mentioned that they had never seen such degradation in a Sprint race before. Lewis Hamilton, Russell’s teammate, started on the medium tires and struggled to match the pace of those on the soft tires. He finished in fifth place and expressed his expectation that the soft runners would encounter tire trouble. Despite the challenges, Hamilton was grateful to have gained seven positions during the race.
Source: motorsport
