Russell says he can now attack corners with new Mercedes F1 car

Russell had a full day within the automobile in Bahrain on Wednesday, earlier than Hamilton took over on Thursday.

Whereas the workforce’s programme meant that Russell’s headline instances had been modest relative to these of rivals, he says that it was already clear that the automobile is an enchancment.

Russell and Hamilton each lacked confidence within the rear finish of final 12 months’s W14, and crucially that trait seems to have been addressed.

“The automobile final 12 months was actually difficult to drive,” mentioned Russell. “Lewis and I had no confidence in it, it felt prefer it was going to chunk us each single nook.

“We are able to assault the medium and high-speed corners with out the rear finish snapping out. And we really feel like we have made a very good step when it comes to the consistency of the automobile. We are able to actually lean on it higher than we have been capable of prior to now.

“And this was an enormous focus all through final 12 months. We noticed many flaws with the W14, which the workforce have achieved a very nice job to rectify.

“And we have now acquired a automobile mechanically the place the aero guys can go in give attention to simply constructing downforce upon that, whereas prior to now, no matter we did aerodynamically there have been underlying points with the race automobile that took some time to know, and so forth.”

Requested what the workforce continues to be lacking, he mentioned: “Extra downforce. When the automobile feels good, but it surely’s not fairly on the tempo, you simply want to seek out downforce in the correct locations.

George Russell, Mercedes W15

Picture by: Erik Junius

“With this iteration of rules, there’s undoubtedly a candy spot for the entire groups, you need the automobile as little as attainable, however you may’t go too low in case you are bottoming out otherwise you trigger bouncing, which continues to be somewhat bit there within the background for some groups.

“And it does not take quite a bit to seek out that candy spot and discover a whole lot of efficiency. Hopefully Purple Bull are already in that candy spot, and we are able to shut that hole. However yeah, it will take a whole lot of laborious work to take action.”

Though he felt good within the automobile Russell is underneath no illusions in regards to the energy of the opposition that Mercedes faces.

“You possibly can undoubtedly inform from the very starting if the automobile is an enchancment and if it is good to drive,” he mentioned.

“And it undoubtedly is an enchancment, there isn’t any doubt about that. However you possibly can have the worst automobile to drive, but when it is quicker than everyone else, you will be pleased with it.

“So it was undoubtedly pleasurable to drive yesterday, I had a superb feeling throughout the automobile. However we all know that the entire different groups have made a superb step ahead.

“And proper now it is undoubtedly far too early to say and we’ve got an enormous, large mountain to climb to meet up with what Purple Bull was doing final 12 months, and the way far forward of everyone else they had been.

“We have to wait and see. However we have undoubtedly acquired a a lot better platform to construct upon, and it isn’t the diva that it was within the final two years.”

Requested about a powerful first day that noticed Max Verstappen’s Purple Bull RB20 away from the sector by 1.1 seconds, he mentioned: “In all probability as you’d anticipate from Purple Bull, they’re in such an important momentum in the mean time. They began these new rules on the entrance foot, and so they got here right here and have been strong ever since.

“They undoubtedly are favourites, they’re undoubtedly a step forward of everyone else right here in Bahrain. In order that they’ve had a powerful winter, little doubt, however that was to be anticipated. Such a powerful workforce and outfit. And we have to see the place we fall out within the coming races.”