F1 Barcelona GP: George Russell to hold talks with Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton thrashing

George Russell looks sad on the phone — Photo: © IMAGO

Barcelona Grand Prix

George Russell to hold talks with Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton thrashing at Barcelona GP

George Russell is said to have a chat with his team about the scenario

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 14 June 2026 21:12

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Mercedes F1 star George Russell has suggested that he will try and get answers from his Mercedes team, after Lewis Hamilton was able to beat him to victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

After two weekends in a row which featured some pretty rotten luck for the Brit, Russell finally returned to form in Barcelona, claiming pole position before finishing second, gaining 18 points on his championship rival Kimi Antonelli, who had to retire from the race.

But Russell was still beaten to the race victory by another driver, his former team-mate and Ferrari star Hamilton.

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It means that Russell has not won a grand prix since the opening round in Australia, and he sits third in the standings, nine points behind Hamilton and 50 behind Antonelli.

Now, the Mercedes star has said that he will be holding talks with his team after Hamilton's alternate strategy trumped the Brackley-based outfit.

F1 RESULTS: Lewis Hamilton claims record win at Barcelona Grand Prix

Russell wants Mercedes debrief

Hamilton and Ferrari's bold three-stop strategy is what helped them to claim the win, bravely opting to start on the soft tyres.

A neatly-timed virtual safety car certainly helped Ferrari's cause, but Hamilton's pace on the fresher tyres meant that he was a threat throughout.

Following the race, Russell told Sky Sports F1: "Obviously, Lewis probably would have come back through anyway, but without a virtual safety car, he would have pitted behind us. Who knows what would have happened?

"I was just struggling towards the end of the stints. I need to review why that was.

"In the first stint, I felt very comfortable on the medium tyre. I felt we pitted really early. Lewis committed to a three stop and I think we should have committed to our own strategy.

"It's something I want to pick up with the team because I was managing quite a lot at the start and still eking that gap out to Lewis.

"I thought we actually we converted to a three and when they told me we're staying on for two, that was a challenge."

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes George Russell Barcelona-Catalunya Grand prix