Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Barcelona win came with George Russell left chasing a second-place finish after Mercedes said an incorrect front-wing adjustment at his final pit stop put him in a very oversteery car. Russell had started his 100th Grand Prix for Mercedes on pole position, but the late balance change helped decide the closing stages.
George Russell in Barcelona
Russell finished Sunday in second position, behind Hamilton in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli passed him with five laps to go, then retired amid technical problems after grounding to a halt.
Bradley Lord said the front-wing error came from a problem with the adjuster gun. He said Russell was then driving with a balance issue that compromised his pace when the race tightened at the end.
Mercedes and Ferrari
Lord said Mercedes could have won the race in theory. He also said the team lost time while Russell and Antonelli fought each other in the second stint and again in the third stint.
Ferrari’s path was cleaner. Lord said Ferrari were a little bit fortunate with the Virtual Safety Car that put Hamilton out on track ahead of Mercedes cars at the final pit stop, and Ferrari made that stop on a three-stop plan while Mercedes ran a two-stop approach.
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
Ferrari also brought a substantial update to the car in Barcelona, and Lord said the team took a really clear step forward in one-lap pace and race pace. That package helped deliver Ferrari’s first win of the season, while Mercedes walked away with the sort of race that leaves one repairable mistake hanging over the result.
Mercedes now has a cleaner read on what hurt Russell: the final stop, the oversteer, and the traffic inside the race itself. The unanswered piece is whether the pole position and early control could have been enough without that front-wing error at the end.
