George Russell (GBR) of Mercedes AMG F1 W15 competed in the Formula 1 World Championship, Round 8, Monaco Grand Prix, held in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on May 26, 2024.
Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull, expressed his confusion regarding the «defeatist» strategies employed by Mercedes in the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. During the race, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car was sandwiched between the two Mercedes cars on the starting grid, and this remained the case until the checkered flag, resulting in a processional race. Due to the unique characteristics of the Monte Carlo circuit, overtaking was nearly impossible, leading both Verstappen and Mercedes to plan for a long stint on the hard compound tires. However, their plans were disrupted by a red flag on the first lap, allowing drivers to change their tires during the stoppage and race until the end of the race.
Despite making a late pit stop to switch back to the hard tires and closing in on George Russell with 16 laps remaining, Verstappen could not find an opportunity to overtake. Russell had been maintaining a similar pace to the leading group during the restart, but he was instructed via team radio to back off from Lando Norris and manage his tire wear. Although Horner admitted that Russell’s actions did not change the final result, he was not impressed with how Mercedes controlled the pace of the race.
«Realmente no entendí el enfoque de Mercedes hoy. George hizo una carrera muy conservadora, sacrificando una cantidad significativa de tiempo y luego acelerando repentinamente al final», afirmó Horner. «No tuvo mucho sentido para mí. Sin embargo, no creo que hubiera hecho diferencia… no tenían intención de adelantar a nadie. Fue simplemente una carrera muy derrotista para proteger su quinta posición.»
Verstappen tuvo una carrera sin incidentes, terminando en sexto lugar, mientras que Sergio Pérez abandonó en la primera vuelta. Como resultado, la ventaja de Red Bull en el Campeonato de Constructores se redujo a 24 puntos. Cuando se le preguntó sobre la afirmación anterior de Toto Wolff de que Red Bull ya había asegurado ambos títulos, Horner respondió: «Sí, creo que sí. Quizás no contra Mercedes, pero Ferrari y McLaren parecen ser competidores fuertes que no se pueden ignorar. Es un campeonato largo, y ganaron un número significativo de puntos hoy.»
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