At the British Grand Prix, Mercedes faced a series of strategy errors led by team principal Toto Wolff labeling the decision to switch from intermediates to slicks as “terribly wrong.” George Russell qualified fourth but only managed to score a single point as teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire.
Wolff admitted that the initial decision came from within the car and was “catastrophic,” leading to a chain of wrong calls including an early stop for Antonelli and a second wrong pit stop. The poor decisions ultimately sealed Mercedes’ fate during the rain-affected race at Silverstone.
Russell defended the team’s early pit decision, arguing that it was reasonable based on the track conditions at the time. Despite finishing with just one point, Russell pushed for a risky slick tire strategy in an attempt to salvage the race for Mercedes.
The team acknowledged the mistakes made during the race and understood that the initial decision was the most critical error that set off a series of unfortunate events. In the end, Mercedes was left to analyze and learn from their missteps at the British Grand Prix.
