Toto Wolff reveals how George Russell played role in leaving Mercedes 'LOST'

Wolff op de Red Bull Ring — Photo: © LAT Images

Mercedes

Wolff reveals how Russell played role in leaving Mercedes 'LOST'

It was Russell's decision to stay out in the wet conditions

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 1 September 2023 09:57

Toto Wolff has revealed how George Russell's decision to stay out in the rain at the Dutch Grand Prix left the Mercedes team feeling 'lost'.

Russell made the decision himself after the team had told him to come in to stop on lap one of the Dutch GP, with the rain pouring down.

Sergio Perez came in at the end of lap one, and gained massively, going from starting seventh to leading the race by 14 seconds with a brave move onto the intermediate tyres.

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Both Russell and his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton stayed out, however, dropping them down to 16th and 18th. Hamilton eventually managed to recover to sixth place, but Russell wasn't so lucky.

After the race, Wolff told Sky Germany that Russell's decision had made the Mercedes team feel a bit lost.

"George told us to stay out during the second and third round and of course, you have to depend on that. We did not look at the gap Perez created and the rain came faster and stronger than expected. Our forecasts didn’t see that coming.

"The driver has the best perspective, and the driver said, ‘no, let’s stay out', which is a collective decision," Wolff conceded.

"Until now, he’s been able to estimate the conditions well, but this time, we were lost. There was just too much water. I think we had a car that could have easily been at the front but this is motorsport.”

"Monumental mistake" cost Mercedes

Could Mercedes have challenged Max Verstappen for the race win in Zandvoort?

It was a shame for Mercedes, as their car looked quick enough to be able to challenge the front runners, particularly with Max Verstappen only winning by 3.744 seconds.

Hamilton, arguably, had a quicker car than Fernando Alonso in second, and Alonso managed to give it his best shot at the end to take the fight to Verstappen.

This mistake cost the team valuable points, Wolff admits.

“We made a monumental mistake in the beginning. Between driving in these conditions and strategy, including me. We did not see that Perez was driving 25 seconds faster during the first round. There is no nice way to put it, we ruined our race.”