What a duel between Leclerc and Russell
Ferrari and Mercedes at Silverstone on paper they would have competed for the role of second force in the hope, perhaps, of undermining the elusive Red Bull a little more than expected. McLaren shuffled the cards, no doubt hoisting itself to the role of chasing Red Bull in its home race, but in the race Ferrari and Mercedes effectively confronted the Brackley team which undoubtedly had something more on the pace than the Maranello reds .
There battle between Charles Leclerc and George Russell for the fourth position in the first stint it was the emblem of what was a Mercedes superiority that was not sufficient to allow Russell to get the better of Leclerc, a situation that confirmed the difficulties of Mercedes in drag and consequently in top speed . Russell tried to show himself at Stowe and at the Vale chicane, finding a blockade in defense by Leclerc that the Mercedes driver didn’t like to the point that he highlighted on the radio “If this isn’t moving under braking, then I don’t know what it means to move under braking”.
Russell’s analysis
After Leclerc’s pit stop Russell extended the stint before switching to the medium tire with which he then got the better of Leclerc outside Luffield, a truly textbook overtaking. Then, the Safety Car it effectively froze Russell’s race who was overtaken by box mate Lewis Hamilton.
“We wanted to be aggressive and had the ability to split strategies – Russell’s words – the soft tire performed really well in the first stint, but unfortunately it was very difficult to overtake Leclerc. At some points there was a questionable defense, but I finally managed to pass. I was unlucky with the Safety Car. Sometimes it’s for, sometimes against. In the end though, we only lost one position and without it I wouldn’t have been on the podium anyway. It didn’t change my race much and we can take the advantage that for the team these are useful points for the Constructors’ championship.”
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