Russell has no regrets over soft tyre gamble after crash leaves him eighth

2022 Canadian Grand Prix

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George Russell said he was glad he risked running a set of soft tyres as the track dried in the closing stages of Q3, despite the crash with left him eighth on the grid.

The Mercedes driver was the only one of the 10 competitors in Q3 to risk changing to slick tyres. Team mate Lewis Hamilton suggested it to his team, but was sent out on intermediates. Fernando Alonso asked if any drivers were running on slicks and was told the Mercedes pair were running on intermediates.

However Russell had decided to switch to slick tyres, having noticed how quickly the track had dried at previous rounds.

“I was surprised in Monaco how quickly it transitioned,” he said. “I was surprised on other occasions how quickly it transitioned.

“It just takes half a dry line and everything changes. I think half the track was totally dry. Another quarter of the track there was a small dry line and then the last quarter which was turn one and two, it was just on its way. It just takes one corner. But at the end of the day, we’re here to fight for more.”

Russell skidded off at turn two on his first full lap on the slicks and damaged the rear of his car against a barrier. He said he was trying to prepare his lap for a final push at the end of the session. “I realised it was going to be very tricky but I thought with a warm-up lap that last lap may have been the one.”

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Sergio Perez, Red Bull, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 2022
Gallery: 2022 Canadian Grand Prix qualifying day in pictures
“I’m glad I went for it because it could have paid off,” he added. “I want to fight for pole position. I’m not here to settle for P3, P4.

“I think we had a good car today. I saw the dry line appearing and it only takes one corner to let you down and for me that was turn one and two.”

Last year Russell took a surprise third on the grid for the Russian Grand Prix in similar circumstances. “It happened last year in Sochi when I was one of three drivers to go from inters to slicks and I qualified P3 with a Williams,” he said. “So it’s high risk, high reward. It didn’t pay off today but the race is tomorrow.”

However he admitted that in retrospect he would have been better off pitting at the end of his out-lap on slicks and switching back to intermediates. However, after he damaged his car “it was too late to come into the pits,” he said.

“In hindsight I probably should have pitted after the out lap back to inters and that would have given me one lap at the end to go for it.”

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2022 Canadian Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
Will Wood
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11 comments on “Russell has no regrets over soft tyre gamble after crash leaves him eighth”

  1. Nice guts to try that Russell. However, please do not do this when fighting for championships. That is not Mercedes culture and attitude. You could have gone easy at turn 1 and 2 to at least have a shot at a full lap. Anyone remember Silverstone 2014? When Hamilton backed off because the first sector was wet, but then everyone else went quicker than him because the final corners were completely dry and Rosberg said he gained 4 seconds on his previous best time of Q3.

  2. Good on him for giving it a try.
    Now let’s see how long it takes him to catch up to Lewis ;)

  3. Worth a shot!

  4. Same way Alonso maintains to this day, that moving to McLaren from Ferrari was the greatest decision of his life?

    1. Sure. P17 in 2015, P10 in 2016, P15 in 2017, P11 in 2018. Could not have chosen a better team than that McLaren.

  5. I’ve just rewatched his last attempt on drys. Why did he lift after turn 2? It was obvious he is going to lose seconds there but might have made that up during the remainder of the lap. I thought that is the idea. I am really surprised he did not go for it after turn 2.

  6. It was a stupid move for glory when they should be thinking of maximizing points. Even if pole no way he would have kept Max behind unless Max DNFed, same with Carlos. So P3 was on cards and increase the gap in the race but now Perez and Charles have a chance to move up as he ll be stuck behind Lewis and Fernando.

    1. I completely disagree.

      They have a firm grip on 3d in the standings.
      They should aim for opportunistic wins and poles rather then bringing the car home in no mans land once again.

      Please, Mercedes, gamble more often.

  7. Agree with russell it was worth trying.

  8. If both Ferraris and Red Bulls were in the mix, then the gamble makes sense as only 5th place could be squandered. But with 1 Ferrari and 1 Red Bull missing, this was a golden opportunity to achieve 3rd. That was what was squandered.

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