A good first day for the Mercedes drivers at Suzuka
Encouraged by their performances in the first session of the Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell believe they have a chance to perform well in Sunday's race.
With a best result of 5th place, no podium and especially a double retirement in Australia, the start of the season for Mercedes is clearly not what Toto Wolff’s team had hoped for. Difficult to set up, the W15 is still not suitable for the two drivers of the team and a gap seems to separate Mercedes from victories, and even from podium finishes.
However, in the morning freshness of Suzuka, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively achieved the 4th and 5th fastest times in the first free practice session, while the running of the second session was limited to the strict minimum due to difficult weather conditions. Satisfied with their performances, the two drivers reacted at the end of this day.
« It was a good session, a really good session for us,” declared the seven-time world champion. « It was our best session of the year, the car was performing very well so it’s very positive and I’m very excited. Given the difficulties we’ve encountered in the last few races, significant work was done last week and it seems like we’ve found a good base that I don’t plan to change for the rest of the weekend.”
On his side, George Russell said he was surprised by his team’s good performances on this circuit.
In FP1, we were better than we thought, so it’s a very pleasant surprise. The feeling of the car is very good, and Lewis and I are very happy with its balance. We are a little more efficient when the conditions are a bit cool, but we have also carried out tests to make the car more consistent when conditions change. Time will tell if we are heading in the right direction,” concluded the younger of the two Britons.
Which places will the two Mercedes occupy on the starting grid on Sunday? Find out tomorrow morning.
