Mercedes reveals George Russell 'on the bubble' fears in battle with Carlos Sainz for P2 in the F1 Azerbaijan GP

Mercedes director James Allison has revealed that George Russell overcutting Carlos Sainz to emerge ahead of him after pitting was not a given, as the Brit was right on the bubble when he came to change tires. The F1 Azerbaijan GP saw an impressive drive from Russell, where the driver started the race in P5 but would make his way through the field to finish in P2.

The journey from the midfield to P2 was not straightforward for George Russell, as the driver was on an alternate strategy where he started the race on hard tires compared to the medium tires for the drivers around him.

The driver would also lose a place early in the race and then slowly make his way through the field and extend his first stint, which would see him overcut Liam Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, and Carlos Sainz when he ultimately made his pit stop.

James Allison, however, reveals that the entire process of making his way through the field was not as straightforward as it seemed at first, as at the point of his pit stop, Mercedes feared that George Russell could come out behind Carlos Sainz. As quoted by RacingNews365, Allison revealed that it wasn't straightforward and paid tribute to the in-lap that Russell did, which helped him jump Sainz. He said,

"That was an exciting time in that race. We were watching lap after lap with George right on the bubble of being able to make that overcut work. We actually thought that he was a little bit behind, and that he was going to come out right on the tail of Sainz and have to get by on the track. So it was a fantastic thing to see him emerge in front, and by a second or so."

He added,

"And it was one of those pit stops where everything came together. But it was more than that. If you'd watch George's in lap, he absolutely smoked the in lap and really took a lot of time away, much more than we expected, in the way he got round the second half of that in lap. And it was just brilliant seeing it when it all comes together like that, and the overcut happens. It's a great feeling."

George Russell's commitment to Mercedes questioned by F1 legend

While George Russell picked up another podium for Mercedes, his future with the team is still not secured. So much so that it has led to questions from Jacques Villeneuve, who felt that the Brit was now not willing to commit to the German team. He said,

"It sounds like Mercedes are committed to George, and now it’s him who doesn’t want to commit anymore. Because he was annoyed that he had to wait. The thing is, who else would Mercedes sign? There’s no one available. On the other hand, there’s no team available for Russell either. So, it’s a pointless battle right now.”

Neither George Russell nor Kimi Antonelli has had their contracts announced for 2026 or beyond at the moment, and hence this has led to questions on what the team's plans are when it comes to the future. The next few races are going to be crucial as the parties try to put pen to paper on the deal.