George Russell told why unique Azerbaijan Grand Prix scenario caused Mercedes tyre issue

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It’s safe to say that Mercedes driver George Russell wasn’t happy at the conclusion of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite securing an unexpected podium.

Russell complained about the Pirelli tyres in Baku as he and teammate Lewis Hamilton struggled to maximise their performance across the weekend.

Mercedes have struggled ever since the start of the current regulations to consistently get the most out of their cars.

Although George Russell and Hamilton led Mercedes to a 2^nd place finish in the Constructors’ Championship, they were a long way off a dominant Red Bull team.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver George Russell’s life outside F1 from net worth to height

Team principal Toto Wolff and his drivers will be delighted that the team have made strides forward in 2024, especially as Red Bull finally seem fallible after years of domination.

However, Mercedes suffered from issues during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that left them very frustrated.

Their drivers could only qualify 5^th and 7^th although Hamilton ended up starting from the pit lane and even then he had a tough time making his way through the pack.

Speaking on The F1 Strategy Report Podcast, journalist Chris Medland has explained why Mercedes struggled with the consistency of their cars so much and it was a factor unique to the Baku circuit.

Baku is a street circuit right in the heart of Azerbaijan’s capital city and as a result is surrounded by buildings.

The rapid change in temperature throughout the race and the cover provided in the narrowly-packed train played havoc with both Mercedes cars.

Shadows and weather play key role in Mercedes struggling during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Talking about how Mercedes fared in Baku, Medland said: “Clearly, it’s a challenge for Mercedes that they haven’t quite got on top of.

“But it was a challenge for both drivers and they weren’t fully alone in this sense either but Baku being challenging, it was high track temp with the sun on the tarmac.

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“When it got later in the race and the shadows were longer over the surface, then you actually got a cooler track surface, so it was easier to manage the surface temperatures.

“But it seemed to be that Mercedes I think were just not that quick, as their car was just not quite in the same ballpark as the Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari in terms of race pace.

“Only a tenth or two off, but then in pushing to try and stay in that fight because they’d been used to being in that fight, they did overwork it a little bit in that first stint.

“As soon as you marginally overheat the tyres, they were harder to cool down and they were really struggling, certainly when you’ve got drivers in traffic, so that’s why George had to drop back from Max early on, that’s why Lewis really struggled to come through the field.”

Lewis Hamilton told why he ‘disappears’ during race weekends after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Hamilton has not had the swansong final season at Mercedes that he would have hoped for ahead of his move to Ferrari.

His win at Silverstone was incredibly emotional and Hamilton was handed victory in Spa after Russell was disqualified.

The 39-year-old will hope to stand on the top step of the podium at least one more time before he steps away from the team.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Hamilton has been told why he disappears during a race weekend but it’s not for a negative reason.

The seven-time world champion is so good at immediately adapting to each circuit that the more the grip builds up on the track, the more his rivals can catch up to his level while the Mercedes struggles in those conditions.

It’s a problem Mercedes are unlikely to fix while he’s still with the team and the night race coming up in Singapore could pose a similar problem, although the thunderstorms forecast may play their part too.