Russell: Closed pit entry was “common sense”

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Should Lewis Hamilton have seen the signs with the signal for the closed pit entrance in Monza? The Formula 1 world is still concerned with this question a week after the race in Italy. The Mercedes driver had lost the likely race victory because he came to change tires when the pit entrance was closed. He had not noticed the light signals outside in the Parabolica.

Mercedes put it on the fact that they themselves had not seen the message on the FIA ​​display screen , and the signals were inconveniently positioned for Hamilton to notice them. But for Williams driver George Russell the situation was actually clear: “For me, a big red cross doesn’t normally mean driving in,” he says.

“But actually I had never seen the red cross I have already seen two arrows on the signals when there was an accident at launch / finish and they told you to enter through the pit lane. ” But never the cross. “I just assumed that the pit lane was closed.”

The rule itself was known to Russell, even if it has basically never been used in previous years. “To be honest, that was just common sense for me,” says the Briton, who is also under contract with Mercedes as a junior.

Nevertheless, he can understand why Hamilton overlooked the sign: “If you don’t look because you are concentrating on the pit entrance and talking to your boys, then I can understand how that happens. It was just strange circumstances.”

At Mercedes, however, you are yourself about one thing: the color of the cross. The group thinks it was yellow, not red. Race director Michael Masi was even given a gift to show him the difference between yellow and red. “But that’s just for fun,” says Motorsport Director Toto Wolff on ‘Sky’. “We’re over it.”

“The rules say it’s a red cross, but it was yellow. I think we’ll discuss that with Michael over dinner to see if the cross is the right color “, so Wolff.

There were also discussions about whether Kevin Magnussen could have parked his car in a better location, but the Haas driver protests:” My engine went high, so I didn’t have much choice. I found this place with the gap in the guardrails and parked it. I didn’t know it wouldn’t fit through there, “he says.