Mercedes' decision, not the right one says Russell: 'We paid the price'
14:18, 05 Apr 2025
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George Russell thinks Mercedes didn't get it right in Suzuka following his P5 result in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
"The track was getting colder and I went, well we went slower on the out lap which we knew from all of our experience was not the thing to be doing," said Russell highlighting what he feels was the wrong approach to his final qualifying run.
"But we decided that was the right decision and ultimately paid the price. So, part of the game, we got it right last week, we didn't get it right this week," referring to his P2 result in the qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.
We decided that was the right decision and ultimately paid the price- George Russell on Mercedes' 'wrong' decision during Suzuka qualifying
George Russell qualified in P5 in his Mercedes W16 at Suzuka
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'Not a horrendous price to pay'
Mercedes thought the tyres would not hold for the entirety of the lap, worried about potentially overheating the tyres.
"It was just way too cold. It got, I think, about 8 degrees cooler through that session, the track temperature."
However, Russell rathers be optimistic, after all, only two spots stand between him and a third consecutive podium. "But paying the price to end up in the 5 is not a horrendous price to pay."
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