Mercedes Explains Zandvoort Team Orders to Russell

Lord was unconcerned about how the decision would be received. He stated: "Due to the early red flag and the delayed schedule, we conducted the full debrief on Monday, rather than immediately after the race. George naturally questioned the instruction when he first received it, but he understood the bigger picture."

Russell couldn't pit during the Virtual Safety Car without losing positions to the Ferrari drivers. Lord continued: "We were also very clear in the strategy meeting on Sunday morning that the margins were too tight for our drivers to lose time battling each other. That discussion formed the basis of the decision."

"If their positions had been reversed, we would have acted in exactly the same way. The priority was to give the car in second place the best chance to attack, while also ensuring the car in third had clear air and the best opportunity to defend its position."

Shovlin also explained why Antonelli wasn't instructed to stay ahead of Russell to provide him with an overtake assist in his battle against Ferrari. The Briton said: "We discussed it. The gain was about two-tenths of a second, mainly on the straights, where George was also most vulnerable. There was a concern that attempting something we hadn't rehearsed could lead to our two cars hindering each other."

"Since the lap time gain wasn't huge, we decided it was better for Kimi to pull cleanly ahead and provide George with clear air for the best possible exit from the corner and braking. With these cars, you can't follow at a distance of two-tenths. Ferrari's best chance was to build momentum from the final corner or attack very late under braking."

"George's defense was incredibly impressive. You might not have given him even a 50 percent chance of holding both Ferraris behind him. The Virtual Safety Car helped cool the situation for a lap or two and allowed him to manage his energy, but he executed the defense superbly," he concluded, praising Russell.