George Russell, pilot of the Mercedes AMG F1 team, expressed his concerns about the team’s recent difficulties after a tough weekend in Saudi Arabia. Despite positive expectations surrounding the new car concept, the W15, and promising results in pre-season testing, Mercedes faced challenges with engine cooling and high-speed performance, resulting in sixth and ninth places at the Jeddah circuit. Russell believes that Mercedes’ drop in competitiveness compared to Ferrari and McLaren is evident in their performance throughout the weekends. While acknowledging their solid sixth place, Russell admits it is not where Mercedes expected to be and emphasizes the need to understand the reasons behind their pace decrease. He highlights the fierce competition between Mercedes, McLaren, Aston, and Ferrari, and expresses the team’s determination to improve and narrow the gap.
Both Mercedes drivers expressed their dissatisfaction with the recurring issue of bouncing over the weekend in Jeddah. However, George Russell believes there is a deeper underlying problem contributing to the team’s decline.
Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes, suggested there may be a correlation issue between the simulator and the real track, affecting their performance at high speeds.
Despite Wolff’s confidence in overcoming this setback, Russell admitted the team is uncertain about how to solve their problems. The complexity of modern cars, combined with the challenging nature of the tires, has made finding solutions difficult.
Russell was frustrated at not being able to close the gap and overtake Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, leaving him 21 seconds behind the podium positions.
In addition to the dominant Red Bulls up front, Russell believes that the competition among the other teams is fierce in this early stage of the season.
When asked about the time difference between Charles and Oscar Piastri, Russell noted that it was 12 seconds, highlighting the competitiveness of the field. However, he remains uncertain about the overall situation.
When asked about his expectations regarding the grid becoming more competitive and challenging for Red Bull, Russell replied that he believes the current state of affairs is in line with what was anticipated.
