Juan Pablo Montoya slammed Mercedes' pit strategy for George Russell at the Barcelona Grand Prix, claiming it cost Russell a potential victory. Russell started on pole, but Lewis Hamilton took the win for Ferrari on a three-stop strategy. Montoya believes Mercedes reacted poorly to Hamilton's early stop. The team brought Russell in on lap 13, just one lap after Hamilton, but kept Russell on a two-stop plan.
This forced Russell to extend his final stint to over 30 laps on a single set of tires, making his race incredibly difficult. Montoya argued Mercedes should have kept Russell out longer, perhaps until lap 21 or 22, to better manage a two-stop strategy. Pitting him so early, especially with high tire degradation, effectively opened the door for Hamilton's successful three-stopper. Russell ultimately finished second behind his former teammate. Mercedes needs to sharpen its race day calls to support its drivers effectively and compete for wins moving forward.
Read the full story at Motorsport.com
