“Lewis suggested it,” Mercedes throws Lewis Hamilton under the bus after fans criticize Japanese GP position swap 

Mercedes took no responsibility over the Lewis Hamilton's decision to let George Russell through.

“Lewis suggested it,” Mercedes throws Lewis Hamilton under the bus after fans criticize Japanese GP position swap 

Lewis Hamilton (L) and George Russell (R) (images via IMAGO), George Russell overtaking Lewis Hamilton (via F1).

Mercedes has had a disappointing start to the 2024 season. The Silver Arrows had another mediocre weekend at the Japanese GP. During the race, Lewis Hamilton let George Russell pass him to potentially allow his teammate to secure some much-needed points for the Brackley-based team.

Lewis Hamilton played the team game at the Japanese GP and asked if he should let George Russell through. The team took this decision in the best interest of scoring points after the recommendation made by the 39-year-old. However, some fans were unhappy with this decision and berated the Mercedes crew for allowing this decision.

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Mercedes was quick to respond on X as they threw Lewis Hamilton under the bus. The fan in question mentioned that they ‘hated’ the decisions that the crew took. Brackley’s social media manager responded and made it very clear that Hamilton had asked for this move. The seven-time world champion made the final call over the overtake and the crew at the German Manufacturer took no responsibility over the entire matter.

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Lewis Hamilton’s engineer claimed he was the ‘fastest’ on track despite being in P9

Mercedes decided to stick with a different strategy as compared to other teams on the grid. Brackley started the race with hards after the red flag. However, this strategy did not pay off for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Hamilton was overtaken by multiple drivers as well before he pitted for another stint on the medium compounds.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell (via IMAGO).

Amidst this, Hamilton’s race engineer Bono claimed that the 39-year-old was fastest on the track soon after the pit stop. However, Lewis Hamilton was still in the ninth spot with no chance of overtaking others in the front. The seven-time world champion struggled to close up to Russell following the pass with the 26-year-old finishing in P7.

This is good pace Lewis. You’re the quickest car on track.
Bono told Lewis Hamilton on team radio.

Hence, Mercedes would likely move on from the Japanese GP and try to solve its issues. The Silver Arrows need to bounce back from the poor start to this season.. As a result, the team would bring in multiple updates for the W15 in order to fight at the front. It remains to be seen if the Brackley-based squad can turn things around this year.

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