I think Mercedes is just lacking an experienced team leader and benchmark since Hamilton left. Russell is far out of his depth and showed his limitations as a team leader in Silverstone. Hamilton would have finished on the podium with the Mercedes if he was still there just like he did last year. Looks where he finished compared to Leclerc.
So far all I see is people blaming Mercedes for the strategy but the strategy was all on Russell. Russell made the call to box on the formation lap when it was too wet. Antonelli said it was too wet and refused. Even a guy that only did 9 races knew not to box. The other veterans who also tend to do well in wet races (Max, Lewis) also said it was too wet for slicks.
Russell’s radio messages from the formation lap
Russell I don’t think this will be long. Be ready to box now.
Dudley So it’ll be a standing start.
Dudley So if you feel it is dry enough, George, it’s your call.
Russell Just be ready.
Dudley Affirm.
Russell I don’t think it is.
Dudley We’re ready
Russell What tyre would you go?
Dudley We would go hard tyre.
Russell Confirm when the rain is coming.
Dudley 20 to 25 minutes.
Russell Be ready
Dudley Copy that
Russell Very wet here
Russell Let’s go for it. Box, box.
Dudley Copy, box, box.
https://www.racefans.net/2025/07/07/rus ... led-wrong/
Then Russell tried to justify it by claiming that it "would have worked if it weren't for those meddling kids"...Hardly a legitamate excuse to not expect yellows in conditions like this. He's not inexperienced so it's just poor judgement. Even if by some miracle Russell ended up in the lead by lap 5, he still had zero chance to win that race with the inevitable safety cars and the inevitable rocketship Mclarens that not even Verstappen could stop. So what was he thinking?
Russell also made the call to box far too early at the end and spun the car off and out of the points when all he had to do was stay calm and box a bit later and he would have finished in the top 4 at the home race for the team. He should have consolidated on a difficult weekend for the team with only 1 car left in the race but instead he got reckless with it like he usually does. Russell looked like a gambling addict who couldn't stop playing the slots machine. He wasn't making good decisions. On the formation lap you have a guy literally saying "It's really wet here", and then seconds later "lets box". This is not rational. It's irresponsible. Maybe for a back-marker team it is okay, but not for Mercedes-Benz.
I don't really understand why so many people are trusting of George Russell to lead this team or that he's maximizing the situation. He hasn't really proven to be any more than someone who can set fast qualifying laps. Hamilton's race pace was often better than Russell in 2022-2024 and Merc's tire degradation issues are exacerbated by the fact that Hamilton left. Russell was always inferior with tire management and there's no reason to think Russell changed in the 6 months after Abu Dhabi 2024 where Hamilton started on the back rows of the grid and caught and passed Russell by the final lap to drive home that point...
Furthermore, Russell has never dragged a slower car to a pole or a win like Max, Lewis, or Alonso have done in their careers. He had chances. Hamilton was the one who did it for Merc. He won in Silverstone and Spa last year when Merc was not the fastest. For the usual suspects: Hamilton passed Russell before Russell's PU failed in Silverstone, and Russell would never have been ahead of Hamilton if they both ran the same strategy in Spa. I am not a Hamilton cheerleader but I am not blind to his ability even at 40. Yes, Russell can win with the fastest car mostly only that. The true greats do even more than that and Toto Wolff and Mercedes know that otherwise George Russell would already have his contract. There is a reason that Max and Lewis rarely have a bad day in the rain and always make a good recovery even when they make mistakes.
Quantum, Matt, TeamKoolGreen, etc don't bother. I am not arguing with you anymore. I know where you stand already. "Ham, Max overrated. George can do no wrong. We don't need Max. Mercedes bad"
It doesn't turn.
