George Russell 'infuriated’ by Pirelli’s F1 tyres | Calls for ‘serious conversations’

George Russell was left ‘infuriated’ by the Pirelli F1 tyres at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, calling for “serious conversations” with the Italian manufacturer.

Russell returned to the podium for the first time since his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this year.

The Mercedes driver’s third-place was fortunate, moving up two spots due to Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez’s last-lap collision.

After struggling for pace in the first half, Russell came alive in the latter part of Sunday’s grand prix.

Speaking to F1 TV after the race, Russell revealed his fluctuating pace was down to the tyres.

“Glad to see they’re both OK. We will definitely take the podium,” he said. “It was such an odd race. The first half of the race we were 1.5 seconds off the pace. The last 20 laps, I was a second quicker than Oscar and Charles, and three-tenths quicker than Max, Checo and Carlos.

“It’s the same circuit, same driver, same car. We just went from a yellow tyre to a white tyre.

“Honestly, it’s actually infruinating it changes that much and it’s not just Mercedes. It’s every team and every driver. One session we’re fast, the next you’re not. It’s only one thing that changes.”

Russell described the situation as “not good enough”, demanding “serious conversations”.

“It’s a black magic,” he added. “Even the people who make the tyres don’t understand the tyres.

“We all need serious conversations again about what’s going on because we’ve got 2000 people working their butts off to deliver the fastest car. 20 laps we had a car that was comfortable fighting for victory, for 20 other laps we had a car that shouldn’t be in the points.

“The only difference is the tyres. It’s not good enough really.”