Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration with Mercedes’ strategy during the Japanese Grand Prix, particularly regarding a suggestion made by George Russell.

In the closing laps of the race, Russell proposed that Hamilton should slightly slow down to provide his teammate with DRS (Drag Reduction System) assistance, which would help Russell defend against Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

However, this strategy backfired as Sainz easily overtook Russell and pressured Hamilton during the final two laps. Hamilton was critical of this decision, stating that he understood it was based on their experience in the previous race but found it illogical.

“I needed to get as far clear as possible. I was on my way, around two seconds ahead and they asked me to give George DRS and I had to come off the gas down the straight.”

“Then he got overtaken by Sainz. He then got past George and he was right on my tail which was not ideal.”

The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a challenging race for both Mercedes drivers, with occasional disagreements between them over the team radio. Max Verstappen won the race comfortably, bouncing back from a difficult race in Singapore, securing a 20-second lead over Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri.