Russell bemoans 'totally wrong' Mercedes information

George Russell has conceded Mercedes' weather information for the Dutch Grand Prix was "totally wrong".

Heavy rain hit Zandvoort midway through the opening lap of the race to prompt a flurry of activity in the pits, but Mercedes kept both Russell, who started third, and teammate Lewis Hamilton out on slick tyres with the belief the shower would quickly pass through.

But with Sergio Perez - the leading car to have made the stop for Intermediates - having made up the deficit by the start of lap three to take the lead, the Silver Arrows eventually gave up the ghost to make the switch.

Despite dropping to the back of the field Russell was running in the top 10 on the Hard tyres having made the most of an earlier Safety Car period following a crash for Williams' Logan Sargeant.

But further contact with Lando Norris after a late red flag - triggered by heavy rain and a crash for Zhou Guanyu - gave him a puncture and he would eventually finish 17th and last.

Russell's wrong information

"The race was over before it started," Russell told media including RacingNews365.

"The information we had regarding the weather was totally wrong, we thought it was going to last for a couple of minutes, but it clearly lasted longer.

"That was a real shame and the podium was basically there, but we did a good recovery and then I had the contact with Lando which is unfortunate, but it was just a racing incident.

"As a team, we need to review because the rain was so heavy, and we misjudged the weather.

"It's got nothing to do with racing or engineering, there was just a weather misinterpretation and that ruined our afternoon.

"We really need to look into what happened, and why the others decided to pit, what information they maybe had that we didn't to make sure we don't make the same mistake again.

"The team told me it was going to be two minutes, and I could have managed for two minutes in those conditions, but it just got heavier and heavier and lasted for 10 minutes.

"It is a joint effort and just a shame it happened this way."