George Russell, driver of the Mercedes AMG F1, believes that the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit will be a valuable opportunity to compare Mercedes with their rivals McLaren in the Formula 1 hierarchy. Mercedes has had a challenging start to the season and currently sits in fourth place in the constructors’ championship, trailing McLaren by 35 points. Ferrari, on the other hand, has established itself as the main competitor to Red Bull. Russell sees the low to medium-speed corners of the Shanghai circuit as potentially advantageous for Mercedes, as McLaren seems to excel in high-speed corners, such as those at Suzuka. Russell believes there is untapped potential in the car’s setup and is optimistic about the performance in the next race. McLaren had a strong showing in the previous race in Japan, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing fifth and eighth, respectively, while Russell and his teammate Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and ninth. Despite McLaren’s positive trajectory, Mercedes has faced significant challenges in 2024, including a double retirement in Australia and issues with the correlation of the new car design, the W15, which aimed to close the performance gap.
Instead, it seems that Mercedes has taken a step back compared to its competitors, as track data does not match the performance shown in simulations. Despite correlation issues, Russell believes that small differences could have a significant impact on the team’s results in the first four races of the season. He points to tight competition in qualifying and poorly evaluated strategy calls in Suzuka as examples. According to Russell, even a tenth or two of improvement in qualifying could have resulted in a better grid position, leading to different strategic decisions during the race. He also suggests that the car’s characteristics may not have been suitable for the circuits where they struggled. Overall, Russell sees the team’s current situation as a battle of narrow margins, with Mercedes coming out on the wrong side in the last few race weekends.
