Mercedes explodes with a strategic nightmare in Wolff’s absence.
Toto Wolff missed the Japanese Grand Prix following anterior cruciate ligament surgery and his Mercedes team’s strategy failed as a result.
The Silver Arrows duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell clashed several times at Suzuka and although both scored points they could have had more.
Russell, implementing a bold one-stop strategy, advised the team ahead of Hamilton, who had much fresher tyres, to prevent Carlos Sainz from tearing them up in the Ferrari.
Mercedes disagreed and the two swapped places, only for Sainz to pass Russell a lap later despite Hamilton trying to give his teammate DRS in defense. Wolff, the team principal, will no doubt have harsh words for his drivers and the team staff responsible for controlling them after the team failed to maximize the weekend.
It was already an uncomfortable watch for Wolff and those in the Mercedes garage as Hamilton and Russell had to drive back and forth multiple times.
The young British driver took a step forward going into the final heat but Hamilton fought back as he recovered from his first-lap contact with Sergio Perez.
Later in the first quarter, Russell attempted another pass on the outside of Spoon, but Hamilton pushed him off the track.
Russell took the lead thanks to his one-stop strategy and although Hamilton was quicker towards the end of the race, the seven-time world champion had to let himself pass rather than make his own move.
If Wolff had been on the track and on the radio, you can almost guarantee he would have put an end to this madness and Mercedes could have kept Sainz at bay and scored a few more points.
