Antonelli caught up to Russell during the second stint of the race and ran behind his experienced team for some time, before passing him with just five laps to go. By that time, Hamilton who had taken the lead after pitting under the Virtual Safety Car, had built a big lead over the two Mercedes drivers.

Ultimately, Antonelli's move on Russell did not stand for much, as he retired shortly after passing his teammate for second position. Rosberg, who won the 2016 championship for Mercedes against Hamilton, believes Mercedes should have adapted a different tactical approach at the Barcelona GP.

Rosberg, in a conversation with Ralf Schumacher on Sky Germany, said he felt Mercedes had been too kind to Russell by allowing him to stay ahead of Antonelli and not ask him to move aside. He made reference to the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix, where he let Hamilton pass him to catch race leader Daniel Ricciardo, despite the fierce title fight against his teammate.

After Antonelli's retirement at the Barcelona GP, Russell closed the gap to 50 points to the championship leader, although he also sits behind the Ferrari of Hamilton.

Russell might have hoped for a lucky verdict after Mercedes put in a Right of Review request, to look at the penalties that George Russell received at the Monaco Grand Prix. Mercedes decided to withdraw the request, and Russell reacted to the news on social media.

The request had originally been put in after Pierre Gasly's 10 seconds of pitlane speeding penalties were wiped out after a successful Right of Review request. Unlike Gasly, Russell served his penalties during the race, making his case impossible to win.