Mercedes Eyeing Gains After Productive Day at Imola

Hamilton and Russell express cautious optimism after a productive first day at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the team’s upgrades showing promise.

Mercedes F1 appeared more competitive at the start of the weekend in Imola during the first day of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in FP2, and the W15’s baseline seemed positive with upgrades introduced at Imola.

“The weekend started well. We had a productive day and managed to run all three compounds,” said the seven-time world champion. “The car’s balance was good, and I felt positive.”

“Several other teams seem fast, particularly McLaren and Ferrari, but we are much closer than we’ve been so far this season. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves; we’ll see how tomorrow goes.”

“I’m really grateful to everyone at the factory for working so hard to bring these updates. We’re seeing improvements in the car and our on-track performance.”

Russell Feeling Good Behind the Wheel

George Russell was close behind his teammate in the FP2 standings and praised a positive day at Imola, particularly due to a strong car. The British driver is hopeful for a good result but awaits qualifying to draw conclusions.

“The car is good today, Lewis and I both felt comfortable behind the wheel, and we’re reasonably competitive. We’ll see in qualifying where we really stand; McLaren should be ahead of us as they are very fast. But the team has done a great job with the upgrades; it’s a step forward,” said Russell.

“The team worked very hard to bring these upgrades earlier than expected. Everyone is working tirelessly despite difficult races to help us make progress, and the car was good today. We’ll see tomorrow where we stand; the track is short, it’s 1:16, so the gaps will be tight.”

When asked about the benefits of the traditional format in terms of preparation, Russell didn’t dismiss the Sprint but appreciated the opportunity to delve deeper: “I like the Sprint format, but there’s no time for testing things, and in Sprint, you only have 60 minutes before the competition. So we feel lucky to have three hours of practice here!”