No progress in Madrid for Russell despite DHL Fastest Pit Stop

The first Formula 1 weekend at the Madring did not go quite as had initially been anticipated. Grip and tire wear were surprisingly high while drivers acted in a well-disciplined manner through the concrete tunnels, so there were no red flags during the race.

George Russell had little chance of fighting for a good haul of points on the Monaco-like circuit after starting sixth on the grid. Nevertheless, he intended to put the field under pressure with an overcut by starting on hard tires. However, a virtual safety car was deployed on lap 14, and so, Mercedes decided to bring him in for a new set of mediums anyway.

Charles Leclerc, who opted against a stop under the VSC, was his main rival, and to neutralize him, Russell was brought back in for another tire change on lap 28. This tire swap took just 2.14 seconds and secured the DHL Fastest Pit Stop for the Mercedes crew in Madrid.

Ultimately though, Russell was unable to overtake Leclerc. Currently in second place in the World Championship, Russell doesn't appear to think that a different strategy would have improved his position, as he said: "Maybe I could have stayed out with Leclerc. Maybe I could have not pitted onto the hard again at the end. But everything I would have done, brought us back to the same position, because you can't overtake on this track, which is a shame."