Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had multiple clashes during the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix, and Mercedes’ head of trackside engineering, Andrew Shovlin, has explained why Russell was instructed to let Hamilton pass in the closing laps of the race.
Mercedes had a challenging race in Suzuka, finishing behind Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari. Both Hamilton and Russell started the race in seventh and eighth positions but dropped to eighth and ninth after being overtaken by Fernando Alonso.
During the race, the Mercedes drivers battled each other more than their rivals. They had several duels, including an incident where Russell went off track after Hamilton ran wide. This prompted Russell to ask over the radio who the team was battling, leading to a strategy change for Russell.
As most drivers pitted for their second pit-stops later in the race, Russell moved towards the front of the field but had older tires, causing him to lose positions. Hamilton, on fresher tires, eventually caught up to Russell, and they battled for several laps, losing significant time.
Mercedes then instructed Russell to let Hamilton pass to “protect” the seven-time World Champion from Carlos Sainz, allowing Hamilton to make the most of his fresher tires.
Despite making changes ahead of the race and gathering useful learnings, Mercedes acknowledged that they were not strong enough in the faster corners during the Japanese Grand Prix.
