Disappointment for Mercedes in Miami: Russell and Hamilton gearing up for a “difficult” comeback in the Sprint
Mercedes had a tough day in Miami, with Russell and Hamilton qualifying in 11th and 12th place respectively. The drivers expressed their disappointment with the lack of pace and inadequate setup of the car.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both expressed their disappointment after a difficult day behind the wheel on the Miami International Circuit. The Mercedes teammates find themselves in the middle of the pack for Saturday’s sprint race, after failing to qualify for top positions on Friday.
Mercedes, who introduced a series of updates to the W15 this weekend, lost both cars in the Q2 stage. Russell narrowly missed out on Q3, by just 0.013 seconds, while Hamilton hit the wall and lost 0.041 seconds. Results: Russell will start 11th in the Sprint, just ahead of his teammate.
A lack of rhythm and inadequate settings
“I’m not too sure what didn’t work for Mercedes today,” Russell told journalists after the Sprint Shootout, as reported by F1.com. “In free practice, the soft tire was really performant on our car, the pace was good. On the medium, we simply couldn’t find the right setup.”
« I found myself on the wrong side. It was tight and we shouldn’t be so close to the qualification limit. We have to work all night and make improvements for the main qualification.
Russell was then questioned about the new updates from Mercedes, which include a new floor, a new front wing, and a new front suspension, and their potential impact for the rest of the weekend.
« I have no doubt that we will make progress in the Sprint race,” he added. « But we must first solve our problems in qualifying. It is always difficult to fight with cars ahead when starting on the wrong foot.”
« Everyone has brought updates for this race. McLaren made big progress, as well as Aston Martin. We are in the same boat as everyone else, but today, it just didn’t work out for us », he regretted.
Hamilton realistic in the face of difficulties for the Sprint in Miami
On his side, Lewis Hamilton explained that there wasn’t any major issue with the car – apart from his contact with the wall – while giving a clear assessment of Mercedes’ situation.
« I really felt good in the car in Q1, then in Q2, it wasn’t great, but we were seven tenths off – it’s just the pace of our car », he commented.
« I think the Sprint race is going to be tough. We start in 12th position, so I don’t expect much from that side, to be honest. It’s not an easy circuit to overtake or follow, so we’ll just try to score points one way or another if we can », he concluded.
