P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes only pitted George Russell during the only safety car period in last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin admitted that they should have double-stacked the Silver Arrows under safety car conditions at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The team only pitted George Russell on lap seven due to Lance Stroll’s crash, with Hamilton and Norris opting not to pit, a decision that hurt their race positions. Shovlin acknowledged that in hindsight, Hamilton should have been pitted at the same time as Russell, but uncertainties about tire durability and potential incidents influenced the strategy call. Mercedes gambled on a second safety car period that never materialized, leaving Hamilton and the team hoping for a different outcome. Shovlin explained that they were also considering the possibility of another safety car later in the race and how offset strategies could play out. In retrospect, Shovlin admitted that pitting both drivers earlier would have been the right call, but the timing of the safety car made it a challenging decision for the team. Make sure to watch the best F1 videos on YouTube for expert insights and analysis from RacingNews365’s top-notch team.
