 Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were left to rue what might have been after poor strategy calls cost them badly at the Dutch Grand Prix. Russell started Sunday's race in third and was confident of finishing on the podium for only the second time this year, while Hamilton was hoping to battle through the order after a disastrous qualifying left him P13 on the grid. However, as the lights went out the rain began to fell and those who pitted for wet tyres straight away benefitted immensely, leapfrogging their opponents to the front. The Mercedes duo wanted to pit but were instructed to stay out, resulting in both drivers slipping to the back of the pack, with Russell venting over the team radio: 'I was forecast for a podium. F***! How did we mess this up?' The 25-year-old eventually recovered and was looking to score points before a late tangle with Lando Norris saw him pick up a puncture and he came home last of the finishers. 'The race was over before it really got started,' Russell fumed post-race. 'I think the information we had regarding the weather was totally wrong. So that was a real shame. A podium was missed. 'As a team we need to review because we're getting the information coming in to us and it was misjudged, the weather. So, it's not anything to do with racing or engineering, it was clearly just a weather misinterpretation and that ruined our afternoon. 'So, we really need to look into what happened, why the others decided to pit, what information they maybe had that we didn't and make sure we don't make the same mistake again.' Hamilton meanwhile finished sixth, decent points but crucially behind his main rivals in the championship, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez. 'Today I had the pace, in those conditions if we made the right [strategy] calls, I could have challenged the top two,' the 38-year-old said. Both Mercedes were told to stay ou){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were left to rue what might have been after poor strategy calls cost them badly at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Russell started Sunday’s race in third and was confident of finishing on the podium for only the second time this year, while Hamilton was hoping to battle through the order after a disastrous qualifying left him P13 on the grid.
However, as the lights went out the rain began to fell and those who pitted for wet tyres straight away benefitted immensely, leapfrogging their opponents to the front.
The Mercedes duo wanted to pit but were instructed to stay out, resulting in both drivers slipping to the back of the pack, with Russell venting over the team radio: ‘I was forecast for a podium. F***! How did we mess this up?’