Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has explained why George Russell was instructed to let Kimi Antonelli through during the Dutch Grand Prix, revealing that the decision was designed primarily to protect Russell from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The controversial position swap ultimately helped Mercedes secure a double podium at Zandvoort, while the team is still investigating the unexpected loss of performance that affected Kimi Antonelli later in the race.
Shovlin has also confirmed that an important W17 upgrade package is on the way as Mercedes responds to the growing threat from McLaren and Ferrari. With the performance gaps between the leading teams becoming increasingly small, every strategic decision and technical improvement is taking on greater importance in the fight for both championships.
Mercedes explains why George Russell was told to let Kimi Antonelli through
Looking back at the decisions made from the Mercedes pit wall during Sunday’s race, Shovlin explained that the request for George Russell to allow Kimi Antonelli past was intended to protect Russell’s third position rather than compromise his race. The decision had generated some debate after the Grand Prix.
“The VSC came out on lap 55,” Andrew Shovlin explained. “Both Ferraris took advantage of it. So at the restart they would have been on fresh tyres. On lap 56 we still had a window that allowed us to call Kimi into the pits and send him back out ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc, putting him in a very good position to finish ahead of them. You have to remember that George was fourth before the VSC came out, while Kimi, because of the pit stop, came out behind him.”
Mercedes then had to decide how to manage its two drivers once Kimi Antonelli, running on fresher Soft tyres, closed up behind his team-mate. The team ultimately instructed George Russell to give up the position, a decision the British driver later accepted when he admitted Kimi Antonelli deserved second place.
Shovlin explained that allowing the Mercedes drivers to fight would have created a greater strategic risk.
“The main objective was not to compromise George’s race time. Kimi, with fresher Soft tyres, had the grip needed to overtake him, but if we had allowed our drivers to fight each other, George would have lost time to the Ferraris, increasing their chances of attacking him and trying to overtake.”
George Russell holds off Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
The calculations proved correct, with Mercedes getting both drivers onto the podium at Zandvoort. However, the closing laps were far from straightforward for George Russell, who remained under heavy pressure from the two Ferraris behind.
“George defended extraordinarily well,” Andrew Shovlin stressed. “It was great to see him on the podium and I think he deserved that result. One of the best moments of the race was seeing how well George managed to defend against the pressure from the two Ferraris.”
“There was no guarantee that he would be able to keep the position and on a couple of occasions Lewis looked as though he was really about to get down the inside under braking for Turn 1. George did just enough to stop him. It was really impressive and, to be honest, he put together an excellent weekend from start to finish: Sprint pole, the Sprint victory, a very solid qualifying session and a race managed with great intelligence. It was good to see George back at this level.”
The result added another chapter to a strong Zandvoort weekend for George Russell, after he had already won the Dutch GP Sprint for Mercedes.
Mercedes investigates Kimi Antonelli’s sudden loss of grip
Mercedes is also investigating the performance loss suffered by Kimi Antonelli during his third stint. After switching to his second set of Hard tyres, the Italian immediately reported a lack of grip over the radio, significantly affecting his pace.
The Mercedes engineers have not yet identified the origin of the problem, although their analysis has established that something did not work as expected. Kimi Antonelli had already been dealing with significant rear instability during the Dutch Grand Prix.
“It is one of the things we are analysing right now,” Andrew Shovlin admitted. “After the race Kimi explained that the balance became progressively more difficult as the laps went by. Every set of tyres gave him a little more oversteer than the previous one and we are trying to understand why that happened.”
“We did not modify the car or change the aerodynamic balance, which is usually the kind of intervention that can explain behaviour like that. So we are analysing the data in great depth to try to get to the cause of the problem, because it is important to resolve situations like this before the next race.”
Mercedes confirms important W17 upgrade package is coming
Shovlin also revealed that Mercedes has a significant development package in the pipeline, which has become increasingly important as the W17 faces stronger competition from McLaren and Ferrari. George Russell has similarly warned that Mercedes needs further upgrades as its rivals close the gap.
“It is clear that the performance levels have now become very close. We are still waiting for our important upgrade package to arrive, which will help us, but in the meantime it is going to be a battle. At Zandvoort it was good to see that, even though we did not have the fastest car, we still managed to score more points than any other team.”
The approaching development step will be particularly important because Mercedes is attempting to maintain its advantage in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships while McLaren and Ferrari continue improving. The latest Formula 1 championship standings underline how valuable every result has become as the season enters a crucial phase.
Mercedes has already confirmed that a major W17 aerodynamic upgrade is planned for Malaysia, but the immediate focus now shifts to the Italian Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli faces Monza engine penalty
“Now we look towards Monza,” Andrew Shovlin concluded. “We will have some important challenges to face there. Kimi will have to serve a penalty for the engine change, but we hope to get the maximum out of the car, stay in the fight and do everything possible to maintain our lead in both championships.”
Monza will therefore present Mercedes with a different challenge, particularly as Ferrari prepares to strengthen its package for its home race with a planned power-unit development for the Italian Grand Prix. With Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren now separated by much smaller performance margins, the next phase of the 2026 season could place even greater emphasis on execution, strategy and the effectiveness of each team’s upgrade programme.
Leave a Reply