P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell asserts Mercedes must understand the “really unexpected” pace drop the team experienced during Saturday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix
In the early stages of the race, both Mercedes drivers, Russell and Hamilton, made impressive moves to climb up the order. Russell overtook Perez off the line and then went on to pass Norris into Turn 11 to secure second place. However, Russell struggled to keep up with Verstappen ahead and Norris eventually reclaimed the position. Perez also overtook the Mercedes duo, with both Leclerc and Tsunoda passing Hamilton in the closing laps. The lack of competitiveness from the Mercedes team was unexpected, as they had believed they would be able to compete with Norris and possibly even Verstappen. The team struggled with tyre degradation, and Russell emphasized the need to rectify this issue. Despite the team’s current set-up being locked in, Russell believes that changes in track temperature on race day could have a significant impact on the outcome. Russell received a two-place grid drop for impeding Gasly during qualifying, which he deemed to be a harsh penalty.
Forrás: Motorsport Week
