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Mercedes’ decision to pit George Russell early at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix cost him up to ‘eight tenths’ per lap, says Juan Pablo Montoya.
The Brit was in desperate need of a resurgence in Barcelona, having not scored a podium since Shanghai. It looked like he had put his woes behind him, as Russell beat Lewis Hamilton to pole position.
However, the Mercedes driver was lacking the pace of the Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, as Hamilton beat Russell for victory. The Maranello outfit’s upgrades gave them a huge boost, and they were also aided by their pit-stop strategy.
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Mercedes’ strategy cost George Russell ‘eight tenths’ per lap in Barcelona
Russell was stunned by Hamilton’s pace in Barcelona. He did not expect him to fight him for pole position, and he had no answer for the Ferrari driver on Sunday.
Hamilton opted for a three-stop strategy, which worked wonders for him as he maintained the lead under the virtual safety car. Mercedes pitted Russell early on a two-stop strategy, and Montoya has suggested that this cost him up to ‘eight tenths’ per lap.
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The Colombian told F1 TV after the Barcelona-Catalunya GP: “No, I mean he did it, qualifying and everything, he executed.
“I think Mercedes put him in a tough spot by stopping him so early. He was the first guy.
“When you have such a high degradation. If you think about it, if you have two tenths a lap degradation and he was higher, and then your teammate stops four laps later, that’s eight tenths a lap.
“Yes, you open a bit of a gap initially, but then the teammate here, it comes and it just makes it hard.”
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Kimi Antonelli also looked faster than Russell in Barcelona, passing him for P2 in the final few laps. However, the Italian suffered an engine failure, handing second back to Russell.
The Brit is now 50 points behind his teammate, while Hamilton has closed the gap to Antonelli to 41 points. The championship fight has certainly opened up as Ferrari have been slowly catching Mercedes.
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