Mercedes fix radio problem that cost George Russell a maiden victory in Sakhir Grand Prix
Stand-in driver Russell had Valtteri Bottas’s tyres fitted to his car due to a pit stop miscommunication
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Formula One champions Mercedes have fixed a radio problem that caused pitstop confusion in Bahrain last weekend and wrecked their race, team boss Toto Wolff said on Wednesday.
Mercedes put Valtteri Bottas's front tyres on race leader George Russell's car when both drivers pitted during a safety car period at Sakhir.
The mistake meant Russell, standing in for Lewis Hamilton after the seven-times champion tested positive for Covid-19, had to pit again. He ended up ninth after a late puncture dealt a further setback.
Bottas was meanwhile held for an agonisingly long time in the pits before the team put his original worn tyres back on.
"The pitstop problem has uncovered an underlying problem with our intercom, and we've put measures in place, both technically and in the way we operate, to make sure it doesn't happen again," said Wolff ahead of the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
READ MORE: Mercedes to give Hamilton as long as possible to decide on return
Technical head James Allison explained that the radio problem had lain undetected and could have struck at any point in the last few years.
"The radios that the pit crew use can only hear one voice at a time," he said.
"They (the crews) are normally listening to their boss on the pit wall, Ron Meadows, who will tell them when they need to come out into the pit lane in order to do a tyre stop.
"But their radios are not just tuned in to Ron Meadows, they are also tuned in or they are scanning to listen to the driver."
Allison said that at the point Meadows was calling on the pit crew to double stack, Russell was talking to half of the people on his side of the garage who could hear only him and not the instruction.
"That meant that when everyone came out into the pitlane to execute the stops, only half of George's tyres arrived," he added.
"One tiny mistake, programming the radios in a way that they could override hearing this really important call from Ronnie Meadows on the pit wall is what caused all that mess."
This weekend get a £10 free bet with Betfair, when you bet £10 on a Same Game Multi on the Premier League. Terms: Min £10 Same Game Multi bet on any EPL match this Fri - Sun. Free bet valid for 72 hours, awarded at bet settlement. Excludes cashed out bets. T&Cs apply.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments