Russell did "all the right things" in Miami comeback charge
Russell did "all the right things" in Miami comeback charge
Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott has hailed George Russell for doing "all the right things" during his Miami Grand Prix comeback charge.
The British driver had looked promising for a pole challenge after topping second practice at the Miami International Autodrome, only to qualify a disappointing 12th.
Mercedes opted to start Russell on the alternate strategy, with the hard tyres taking him through until the safety car was deployed on lap 41.
Russell finished fifth to continue his streak as the only driver on the grid to have finished in the top five of each race this season.
Addressing Mercedes' choice to start on the hard tyres, Elliott explained: "I think you can tell by the fact we fitted the hard that we kept our options open. Our plan was always to be able to run an offset strategy to the cards around us.
"By an offset strategy, what I mean is if we have got a car you think has a pace advantage, you want to be running a different strategy to the cars around you. That way, if you get caught in a DRS train, you are always going to get to a portion of the race where you have some clean air, when the others pit and you are able to then run long.
"That is what we had in mind with George. Added to that, there is also the potential benefit of safety cars. If that safety car came out after the others had pitted, you end up with a clear advantage and that is the way it obviously played out."
Russell fifth "a fantastic achievement"
Russell had dropped back at the start as those with medium tyres used the grip advantage of their compound, but after expressing a desire to gamble on a safety car late in the stint, the collision between Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly granted the Silver Arrows' wishes.
On Russell himself, Elliott said: "George drive a fantastic race. Starting on the hard tyre when his competitors around him were on the medium, alright we lost a couple of places at the start but George kept his head.
"He did all of the right things, he let the tyres come towards him and as we started to get heat into the harder tyres and the medium tyres started to degrade, we saw the pace advantage that George had and he started to cut through the field and do a really really good job.
"To finish the race fifth from where he started, that is a fantastic achievement."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
- 37 minutes ago
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- Today 17:57
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- 1 hour ago
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- 2 hours ago
Adrian Newey: The life and career of Red Bull's departing genius
- 3 hours ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
- 3 hours ago
- 2
Related news
Mercedes star tipped to replace struggling driver THIS season
Hamilton car camera captures Verstappen's TRUE feelings toward F1 rival
Marko reveals Vettel requirements for stunning F1 comeback
Fierce Hamilton F1 rival raises timing issue for Ferrari move
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860