Russell surprised both Norris and Verstappen at the start of the race in Barcelona. The British driver envisioned a similar start to Fernando Alonso’s in the 2011 Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, where he went from fourth to first. Russell’s lightning start allowed him to overtake his teammate Hamilton and take advantage of Norris and Verstappen’s slipstream. With the two leading drivers focused on each other, Russell seized the opportunity to overtake them and take an unexpected lead. Russell had dreamt of this start and planned his approach based on the weather forecast and the change in wind direction. He knew that the headwind at turn 1 would allow him to brake late and deep into the corner. He always remembered watching Alonso’s impressive start in 2011 and believed it was possible to replicate it. Russell took calculated risks during his reconnaissance laps, practicing braking as late as possible to determine the limits of the car and the strength of the wind. He was pleased that his strategy paid off.
On the other hand, Verstappen managed to overtake Russell with the help of DRS on the third lap and quickly distanced himself from the cars stuck behind the Mercedes in the early part of the race.
Russell was the first among the leading drivers to make a pit stop, but a slow stop cost him a valuable position in the race. Furthermore, issues with the medium tires forced him to switch to the hard ones.
Meanwhile, Hamilton opted for a longer intermediate stint and emerged on the track with soft compound tires towards the end of the race. He managed to catch up to Russell and made a decisive overtake to secure third place.
When asked about his feelings regarding the result, Russell replied: “Yes, it’s a bit frustrating. I think a few small factors worked against us today. The slow pit stop put us at a disadvantage in the middle stint and added some pressure. We also lost a significant amount of time battling with Lando and switching to the hard tires. It wasn’t ideal, but it helped protect the team’s position in third and fourth place, which was our goal.”
The winner of a grand prix revealed that Mercedes was aware that the hard tires were not the best choice for the race, but the team wanted to cover all possibilities, especially against Ferrari. Russell explained: “We knew the hard tires wouldn’t perform well, but we wanted to minimize the risk for both Lewis and myself. We were concerned about the threat from Charles [Leclerc] behind us. So, as a team, it was a strategic move to reduce the risk. Of course, I’m a little disappointed not to be on the podium, but I was there last week. Lewis did a fantastic job today and overall, we are taking the positives from these promising races.”
