Mercedes confirm Hamilton ASKED for team-mate to overtake him at Japanese GP
Mercedes confirm Hamilton ASKED for team-mate to overtake him at Japanese GP
Mercedes have suggested that Lewis Hamilton asked for team-mate George Russell to pass him at the Japanese Grand Prix for the benefit of the team.
The Mercedes pair switched places on lap 14 of 53 in Suzuka as Hamilton was struggling to keep pace on his hard tyres.
READ MORE: What the 2025 F1 grid looks like after MASSIVE Hamilton move
After the move, the Mercedes team shared an update on Twitter, saying: "LH (Hamilton) is struggling with his set of tyres. GR (Russell) has stronger pace at this stage of the race on his hards."
Did Lewis Hamilton ask to let George Russell through?
Fans seemed to disapprove of the choice to prioritise, with one commenting: "I hate your decisions."
But Mercedes soon clapped back against the remark, revealing that Hamilton had in fact been the architect of the swap. They wrote: "Lewis suggested it."
Lap 14/53: Lewis and George switch positions
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 7, 2024
LH is struggling with his set of tyres. GR has stronger pace at this stage of the race on his Hards pic.twitter.com/bqAPjx5wc5
Their response gained approval from many fans, garnering more than 12,000 likes, but some used the exchange to suggest that the team should have listened to Hamilton's other ideas, such as altering Mercedes' F1 car concept when it was suffering following the decision to adopt a zero-sidepod approach.
One fan wrote: "Lewis also suggested fixing the car but you didn’t listen to him then so why now??"
lewis also suggested fixing the car but you didn’t listen to him then so why now ??
— chloe⁴⁴ (@chloeteamlh) April 7, 2024
Later in the race, Hamilton switched to medium tyres, allowing him to gain pace once again. But it was not enough to catch up to Russell, who finished the race in P7, ahead of his team-mate in P9.
READ MORE: F1 Driver Salaries 2024: Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton WAY out in front
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Rap LEGEND set to stun fans at US Grand Prix
- 39 minutes ago
Red Bull warned of mass exodus after Newey departure
- 1 uur geleden
Red Bull warned of 'burning' as disquiet grows
- 2 uur geleden
Verstappen set for Mercedes talks over SHOCK move
- 3 uur geleden
Newey exit takes new turn as contract complication revealed
- Yesterday 23:00
F1 boss looking to sell 25% of team for over $1 BILLION
- Yesterday 22:00
F1 champion calls Hamilton sport's GOAT in surprise admission
Verstappen JUMPS ahead of Hamilton in incredible statistic
Get to know Kimi Antonelli: The junior sensation who could be set to replace Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton's mystery new assistant: Who is Charlotte Davies?
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
Realtimes | Publishing Network
Copyright (©) 2017 - 2024 GPFans.com
Realtimes | Publishing Network