F1
Russell fires Pirelli after Baku: 'Even the people who make the tires don't understand them'
© Xavi Bonilla / DPPI
George Russell could consider himself lucky on Sunday evening after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Briton took a surprise podium, taking advantage of the accident between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez on the last lap to recover the last position on the box. However, behind the smile of an unexpected 3rd place, the driver Mercedes was not entirely satisfied, and even had several criticisms to give at the end of the race.
A director of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association), the two-time Grand Prix winner first lambasted the race stewards who, according to George Russell, took too long to deploy the VSC or a Safety Car, saying the end of the race was "pretty crazy" trying to “driving flat out in a sea of carbon fiber”. “The sun was setting and we couldn’t see anything. I was shocked that the safety car or the VSC didn’t come out earlier. The car could have been anywhere. I’m glad to see everyone is okay.”
After the stewards, it was Pirelli's turn to take a shot from George Russell. The Mercedes driver criticised the performance gap between the two compounds used in the race, the C4 (medium with yellow stripe) and the C3 (hard with white stripe). "The first half of the race we were 1,5 seconds off the pace [of the leaders]. In the last twenty laps I was a second faster than Oscar [Piastres] and Charles [Leclerc] and three tenths faster than Max [Verstappen], Checo [Pérez] and Carlos [Sainz]. It's the same circuit, the same driver, the same car, we just went from a yellow tire to a white tire, explains the Englishman. Honestly, it's quite maddening that it changes so much. It's not just Mercedes, it's all the teams and all the drivers. One session you're fast, the next you're not. And there's only one thing that changes."
Russell wants a " serious conversation » with Pirelli
George Russell, like several other pilots such as Charles Leclerc in particular, felt very different sensations between the two compounds. The Briton calls on the Italian manufacturer to review its copy, while criticizing the work provided by the teams of Mario Isola, director of motorsport at Pirelli
"I think even the people who make the tires don't understand them, castigates Mercedes driver. We all need to have a serious conversation about what's going on, because we've got 2 people working like crazy to deliver the fastest car. For twenty laps of the race we had a car that could fight for the win, for the other twenty laps we had a car that probably shouldn't have been in the points and the only difference is the tyres. And that's not good enough, really."
ALSO READ > Why did Hulkenberg fall out of the points on the last lap in Baku?
Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
16/09/2024 at 07:03 a.m.
When will a second manufacturer arrive in F1 and the end of the tire monopoly?
Eric Stevens
17/09/2024 at 04:36 a.m.
bad idea for costs, the race for performance (already too high) and the lack of fairness on certain tracks. on the other hand, a high-performance manufacturer, chosen on quality criteria, and not on the amount of the check, would allow us to avoid the pitiful spectacle that pirelli has too often provided us with! these people should only make mattresses! :)