Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Mercedes compromised George Russell's chances at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, arguing that an overly aggressive pit strategy put the British driver in a difficult position.
Russell started the race from pole position, but it was Lewis Hamilton who claimed the victory after pulling off a three-stop strategy. The seven-time champion secured his 106th career victory and an emotional maiden win for Ferrari.
While Hamilton's pace in the upgraded Ferrari was formidable, Montoya feels Mercedes made an error in how it managed Russell's race. According to the Colombian, the Brackley outfit pitted Russell too early.
Hamilton, on a three-stop strategy, pitted on lap 12. In response, Mercedes called Russell in the following lap but kept him on a two-stop strategy.
"What really surprised me about Mercedes is that they reacted to Lewis's strategy, but they stayed on their own," Montoya said on F1 TV. "So, I think they put themselves in a really difficult situation because at the end of the race, they had to do over 30 laps on the last set of tyres.
"So, it's like if you go into a two-stop, you don't stop on lap 15. You should have gone to lap 21 or 22. Then, it becomes a much easier race. And then if they would have done that, it would have been much harder for Lewis to work because when they stopped, everybody stopped early and extended those runs, that's where they opened the strategy for Lewis."
He added: "I think Mercedes put him in a tough spot by stopping him so early. He was the first guy. When you have such a high degradation... If you think about it, if you have two-tenths a lap degradation and he was higher and your team-mate stops four laps later, that's eight tenths a lap. Yes, you open a bit of a gap initially, but it just makes it hard."
Russell finished second behind Hamilton, scoring 18 points.
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