The Mercedes team played a leading role in the final phase of the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. Lewis Hamilton eventually crossed the line in third after his teammate George Russell crashed on the final lap. It looked like there were no Mercedes personnel under the podium, but according to James Allison that is nonsense.
Mercedes went on the hunt for victory with Russell and Hamilton in the final phase of the Singapore Grand Prix. After Russell drove into the tire stacks, Hamilton still crossed the line in third. Before the podium ceremony, it seemed that no Mercedes personnel were present to welcome and congratulate the Briton. It caused a lot of commotion, especially on social media.
Clap
Mercedes has of course also heard this criticism and they deny it. Technical director James Allison shrugs it off in the usual Debrief on YouTube: “Of course our team was there on stage to celebrate with Lewis. As many of our people as possible were there because we enjoy those moments. We love them I really love standing there and clapping and cheering for our driver.”
Russell
According to Allison, it was much more important for the international director to portray the enthusiastic staff of Ferrari and McLaren. He does admit that there were fewer Mercedes personnel than normal: “Part of our team had to stay in the garage to accommodate George’s car. But the rest of our team simply stood under the podium. The cameras leave didn’t see everything and it was of course a much bigger story that a team other than Red Bull had won that race.”
