The Japanese GP was like a crash back to reality for Mercedes. Last weekend, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were fighting for the win in Singapore. This weekend, Hamilton’s leading W14 finished 50 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen. The reality? Singapore was just a blip in Red Bull’s scintillating season. Mercedes is nowhere close to where it wants to be. The Brackley squad has accepted that it has significant work to do if returning to the front in 2024 is still its aim. But that wasn’t the only reality check Mercedes got in Suzuka.

If you missed the race, just know that all was not well at Mercedes. Not in terms of competitiveness or anything. Instead, it was the sparks flying between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, and they were nothing like the literal ones flying in Singapore. These sparks are capable of threatening Mercedes more than any of its rivals. Former Ferrari General Manager Peter Windsor brought this disaster to light.

Hamilton and Russell were making up for lost time at the Japanese GP

Since Russell walked into Toto Wolff’s office with a PowerPoint presentation all those years ago, it was clear he would drive for Mercedes sooner or later. Until 2021, this peaceful harmony at Mercedes existed between Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. They almost never had a go at each other on track, and Bottas never really threatened Hamilton’s status at Mercedes. With the peaceful harmony came a balance that Hamilton deeply misses now. Why? Because Wolff went against his wishes of retaining Bottas instead of bringing in Russell.

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Since they became teammates in 2022, everyone thought it’d be an explosive rivalry like the Hamilton-Rosberg one. Well, that didn’t happen throughout 2022 and for most of 2023. But since the Singapore GP, the Mercedes boys look like they’re making up for lost time. At Suzuka, the teammates came together on more than one occasion, which could’ve ended badly for Mercedes. Peter Windsor feels these sparks just starting to ignite could very well lead to a disastrous explosion.

In his post-race debrief on YouTube, Windsor discussed their on-track rivalry. He said, “Imagine if Mercedes had a championship-winning car, and this was the World Championship and Grand Prix wins they were racing for. If they do get in a position to be actually doing something serious in 2024, how are you going to manage that Lewis Hamilton-George Russell imbalance? Lewis always wanted to keep Valtteri [Bottas]. Not necessarily because he loved Valtteri, but because it was the right balance in the team. He could feel that.”

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With Russell having come in and putting up a challenge almost every time they go out on track, it’s been unsettling for the seven-time champion. He’s definitely not happy with the situation at Mercedes right now, just like he wasn’t happy with their almost-decision at the Japanese GP.

Mercedes’ strategy could’ve put Lewis Hamilton in danger

Following their almost-coming together in the first stint, Hamilton and Russell opted for different strategies. While the seven-time champion went for the conventional two-stopper, Russell wanted to try out the one-stopper. In the race’s closing stages, Russell was ahead of Hamilton in P5. On newer tires, Hamilton was faster and was being chased by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Russell knew if he let Hamilton pass, Sainz would overtake him, too. So when Mercedes suggested he make way for his teammate, he didn’t budge.

He believed the right thing to do was to keep Hamilton within his DRS and let him through on the last lap. But Mercedes instructed the young Brit to let Hamilton pass, ensuring Sainz got through. As reported by BBC, Hamilton said about Russell’s suggestion, “I didn’t think that was a good idea at all. It made no sense. We should have swapped earlier, and I should have got as far ahead as possible to keep the gap as big as possible. [Sainz] was right on my tail [after he passed Russell]. Not ideal. It made it very hard for me the last couple of laps, but a fifth and seventh is better than a sixth and seventh.”

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What did you make of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s tussle during the Japanese GP?