Russell thinks that Mercedes should be inspired by Norris’s victory
George Russell believes that McLaren's victory in the Miami Grand Prix should serve as inspiration for Mercedes to turn around its situation in the championship.
Lando Norris won his first Formula 1 victory last Sunday for McLaren. The team’s turnaround compared to last year has been praised, with significant developments enabling McLaren to surpass Aston Martin and Mercedes in the hierarchy and, at times, challenge Red Bull and Ferrari at the top.
Pointing this out as a source of inspiration for Mercedes, George Russell conceded that his team must make changes quickly to recover from a disappointing start to the season.
McLaren qualified 17th and 18th a year ago in Miami, and on Sunday they won. So it shows what is possible when they do things right. But for now, we don’t have things in order, said Russell after the race.
Mercedes, whose last victory dates back to the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix thanks to Russell, had another difficult weekend in Miami, failing to score any points during the sprint race on Saturday after Lewis Hamilton was penalized for an infringement in the pit lane.
On Sunday, Hamilton finished sixth, while Russell had to settle for eighth place. When asked whether the issues in Miami were due to the tires or something else, Russell said: “I don’t really know, to be honest. You know, on a good day, we are fifth. On a bad day, we are eighth, and today [Sunday] was a bad day, and we finished eighth.”
« I think we have to accept that we are the fourth fastest team at the moment. Lap times don’t lie. The championship doesn’t lie, that’s where we are. And as I said, I think we’re fighting for a place from fifth to eighth position week after week now.
Mercedes wants to see developments in the upcoming races
The result left Mercedes 80 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship, but team boss Toto Wolff also saw some positives in his rival’s victory.
« They have taken a huge step since last summer and they won in a fair and equitable manner and this with a Mercedes engine, and it’s so important for all of us to see that you can take these steps if you bring the right upgrades and do the right job, so I only see positive aspects.
Although his W15 showed some signs of progress at the beginning of the season,Wolff conceded that it has been a steep learning curve for the team.
« The car is very efficient at high speed, the grip is better, although not at the level of others. The car simply doesn’t turn at low speeds and you don’t want a car that varies between low speed and high speed, you need both and that’s why they point us in some good directions. »
« It has been a painful learning curve and is still not satisfactory, but the situation is more encouraging now,” he explains.
Mercedes introduced several modifications in Miami, Wolff described it as a complete effort from his design office.
