Mercedes F1 Struggles Despite Efforts in China

Despite high efforts from Hamilton and Russell, Mercedes F1 faced another challenging weekend, finishing with mediocre results in the Chinese Grand Prix.

It’s yet another very average Grand Prix for Mercedes F1 in China.

After securing 2nd place in yesterday’s Sprint by Lewis Hamilton, it was George Russell who was the best in the team with a 6th place in the Grand Prix.

When first asked if this was the best result he could hope for today, he nodded.

“I think so. This weekend, we know where we lost our way.”

“Over the last three races, we’ve been fighting with Alonso, Piastri as well, and 6th place is where we are at the moment.”

“It was an interesting weekend, I managed to have two different setups on the car between Friday and Sunday, so some information to go through.”

“In the end, we need to exploit the data and continue to add performance to the car.”

As to whether he thought the Ferraris were always going to pass him at the start of the race, Russell hoped to counter them before yielding to the logical order.

“You always hope and do your best. You drive as fast as possible but eventually you end up falling into the pace order of the car. It’s the same for everyone. It’s F1.”

“We just have to keep working hard to try to close the gap to fight more with Ferrari and McLaren and try to get closer to the Red Bulls.”

Hamilton pays for his very poor qualifying yesterday and his usual setting changes… but doesn’t often pay. Finishing 9th under these circumstances, it’s almost a miracle according to him.

“I’m grateful to have scored points. I didn’t expect much more this weekend after the qualifications.”

“I hope we make a step forward in the next race. Until then, we’ll be back at the factory next week and we’ll try to better position the car for Miami to have a better weekend there.”

Hamilton also had a few words about the return of F1 to China.

“I have huge support here, it’s great to see all the support for F1 in this country. The track is amazing, it’s good to be back.”

For Toto Wolff, the director of Mercedes F1, it’s hard to ask for more from his drivers today.

“From where we started, the final result was close to the maximum with the car we had today. George’s main goal was to pass Fernando Alonso and Piastri, which he did.”

“A solid final stint to manage degradation allowed Alonso not to become a threat at the end. Lewis struggled with rear tire temperature throughout the race, probably due to the balance of the car.”

“He benefited from the Safety Cars but was ultimately unlucky not to take 8th place at the end, not quite able to get into the DRS of Piastri.”

“It was a weekend of contrasts. It’s likely that the radical changes made after the Sprint didn’t help, but we were able to race competitively against the McLarens, the Ferraris, and Alonso’s Aston Martin.”