Why Russell Was Given a New Mercedes F1 Front Wing Instead of Hamilton in Monaco

Why Russell Was Given a New Mercedes F1 Front Wing Instead of Hamilton in Monaco

Hamilton said that he and Russell were really close in their race times, just 0.078 seconds apart. But he pointed out that Russell had a better car because it had been upgraded, while Hamilton's hadn't. He told Sky that he knew he would struggle to beat Russell in qualifying because of this. He felt frustrated because he couldn't figure out why he was losing time. Hamilton even said he didn't expect to do better in qualifying for the rest of the season and was puzzled about why his car wasn't performing well on Saturdays.

Hamilton's comments made it seem like maybe Russell was getting special treatment from Mercedes because he's staying with the team next year, while Hamilton is leaving for Ferrari. But the truth was that both drivers were offered the upgraded part, and Hamilton chose not to use it. He wanted to stick with what he knew to keep things stable during practice and qualifying. Plus, using the new part meant risking starting from the pit lane if it got damaged.

Mercedes assured that things would be fair next time in Canada, as both cars would have the same upgrades.