Russell’s Baku overcut hinged on a razor-thin margin
George Russell secured second place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a late stop that overcut Carlos Sainz, but Mercedes admit they feared the Briton would emerge behind the Ferrari as the gap was "on the bubble."
Despite battling illness, Russell executed a long opening stint to target both team-mate Kimi Antonelli and Sainz. As he dived into the pits, the team expected him to rejoin behind the Spaniard—until a stellar in-lap and slick stop turned the tide.
Allison: the in-lap made the difference
"We were watching lap after lap with George right on the bubble of being able to make that overcut work," said technical director James Allison. "We actually thought he was a little bit behind... So it was a fantastic thing to see him emerge in front, and by a second or so."
Allison praised the choreography of the stop but singled out Russell’s pace on the approach: "If you’d watch George’s in lap, he absolutely smoked the in lap and really took a lot of time away... And it was just brilliant seeing it when it all comes together like that."
- Key to the move: A rapid in-lap and clean pit work
- Strategy: Long first stint to enable the overcut
- Outcome: Rejoined ahead of Sainz to secure P2
The sequence underlined how fine margins and perfect execution can decide podium places on a street circuit where track position is king.
