Mercedes driver George Russell believes McLaren is in the ideal position to secure consecutive victories in Formula 1 at the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Lando Norris took advantage of significant improvements in the MCL38 car and a Safety Car in the middle of the race in Miami to finally secure his first F1 victory. Despite initially being in 12th place during the second practice session in Imola, Norris showed impressive speed, even rivaling Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. While he set the fastest times in the initial and intermediate sectors on soft tires, a mistake in the last corner forced him to abandon the lap. With Red Bull facing difficulties on track, Russell, who finished fifth in FP2, identified McLaren as the team to beat this weekend. “I felt very good today, both myself and Lewis Hamilton had a great feeling behind the wheel,” Russell commented. “We seem to be reasonably competitive, maybe closer than in Miami. We will find out our true position in qualifying. At the moment, McLaren still seems to be the favorite and probably the fastest, as it has been since China.”
Mercedes has introduced several updates to its W15 car for this weekend’s race, which Russell praised as a significant step in their efforts to overcome ongoing challenges. Despite both Mercedes drivers finishing in the top five, with Hamilton in fourth place, Russell anticipates a tight qualifying session. “The team has been working tirelessly to bring these parts earlier than expected, and it’s great to see the motivation within the team. Despite some tough races, everyone is moving forward. The car felt really good today. So, tomorrow we’ll see where we stand in the qualifying order. It seems quite balanced, considering it’s a short lap here, about 1 minute and 16 seconds. It will be decided by slim margins.”
Russell also expressed his appreciation for returning to the traditional weekend schedule after two rounds of the Sprint format in China and Miami. “I enjoyed the Sprint format, but in our sport, where we have limited testing and training opportunities, we can’t just try out new things with the car. We are the only sport in the world where we have only 60 minutes of practice before the competition. So, having three hours of practice this week feels like a luxury, although it’s still not much. It came at the right time for everyone.”
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