George Russell has shared insights from the Mercedes data, highlighting a significant gap in performance expectations between qualifying and the race at the British Grand Prix. Despite Russell qualifying in P6, one place ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes data predicted the duo would qualify in P17 and P18, respectively.
This marked a considerable improvement in performance compared to what the team had anticipated. Russell further revealed that based on the data from FP2, their race pace showed the third and fourth-fastest times on the grid. This trend of stronger race pace for Mercedes compared to qualifying has been observed throughout the season.
Russell expressed his satisfaction with his qualifying lap, mentioning that he felt there wasn’t much more he could have extracted from the car. He also acknowledged Hamilton’s strong performance throughout the weekend, pushing him hard.
Looking ahead to the race, Russell expects Mercedes to be in a stronger position, considering their historical trend of performing better on Sundays. However, he also acknowledged the presence of surprises on the grid, such as Fernando Alonso starting in P9 for Aston Martin and Sergio Perez’s early elimination in Q1. Russell believes these out-of-position drivers could present additional challenges during the race.
The biggest surprise came from McLaren, with Lando Norris nearly denying Max Verstappen pole position and his teammate Oscar Piastri qualifying in P3. McLaren’s recent upgrades have propelled them forward, and Russell sees them as the “unknown” factor heading into the race.
In conclusion, it appears that Mercedes will need some luck to secure victory at Silverstone, especially with Hamilton aiming to set a new record for the most F1 victories at a specific circuit, currently standing at eight. Russell acknowledges the competitive field and the challenges posed by McLaren but remains optimistic about Mercedes’ race pace.
