George Russell’s tire troubles in Jeddah: Simone Resta explains why he pushed too hard. George Russell faced tire issues in Jeddah during the Saudi Arabian GP.

A Sunday without highlights
George Russell in Saudi Arabia kept his streak of top-5 finishes intact, which has lasted since the start of the season, but this time the Mercedes driver couldn’t secure a spot on the podium. In terms of tire management and strategy, the British driver was clearly outperformed by Charles Leclerc in Jeddah.

The Ferrari driver stayed out on the medium tires for nine more laps, giving him fresher tires for the final part of the race. In contrast, George Russell struggled and was passed first by the Monegasque and then by Lando Norris, even raising concerns in the final laps about needing to make an extra pit stop. The second pit stop was eventually avoided, but the issues with the W16’s tire management were clear.

Tire Issues
In the traditional debriefing video posted by Mercedes on YouTube, it was Simone Resta, the deputy team principal of the Silver Arrows, who attempted to explain the issues on the Brackley car. “George’s tire degradation in the last stint? We believe it was mainly due to the pace,” Simone Resta explained. “He was pushing too hard to stay with Charles and also to defend himself from Norris, and essentially he lost the advantage given by the tires and paid the price at the end of the stint. Unlike George, Kimi started the stint a bit more calmly and was able to maintain a bit more margin on the tires. So, when he had to defend himself from Lewis, he was able to open up the gap at the end of the stint.”

The Final Fright
George Russell’s team radio just a few laps from the end, where the Englishman complained of a concerning “band” on the inside shoulder of the tire, did not worry the Mercedes box too much. “In fact, it was localized and accelerated wear in that part of the tire, and George was a little worried that the wear was excessive and might be critical to finish the race,” Simone Resta commented. “He then asked for our opinion, but with all the data we had, we were confident he could continue and stick to our original plan, which involved a one-stop strategy.”