Mercedes explains how George Russell was able to beat the team's estimated finish position in Qatar after his first-lap crash with Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin mentioned that George Russell beat the team's expectations after his Lap 1 crash with teammate Lewis Hamilton to finish P4 in the 2023 F1 Qatar GP.

The Briton was hit by his seven-time world champion teammate on Turn 1 which sent him around and caused some damage to his car. He had to pit after the first lap under the safety car but was able to make some amazing overtakes and displayed outstanding pace to move up the field.

In the end, George Russell Finished P4 ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and just behind the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. During their race debrief for the Mercedes website, Shovlin claimed that the team had to manage expectations after Lap 1. He said:

“The early predictions were coming in at the back of the points, but not scoring many. As the race went on, those predictions got better and better. Ultimately, they ended up indicating that he would finish fourth place. Well, what changed that? He was able to overtake, he was able to get through some key cars early on and also once he got into free air, we could see that the race pace was actually really good.

Shovlin added:

"That was the thing that allowed him to make up so many places. With the benefit of hindsight, it feels like the dramatic crash could (and should) have been avoided. It will go down as a classic case of ‘what could have been’.

George Russell analyzes his Qatar GP weekend after a P4 finish

The young Briton stated that there were a lot of positives to take from the Qatar GP despite his first-lap crash with his teammate which hampered his progress and affected the result that he could achieve.

As per F1.com, George Russell said:

"There are still lots of positives to take away from this weekend though. Our goal is to get P2 in the Constructors’ and we managed to outscore Ferrari this weekend. Our pace was very strong too so we can be confident going into these final five races.

He added:

"The Grand Prix itself was incredibly tough. It was by far the most physical race I've ever competed. It was like being inside an oven! I was pretty happy to see the chequered flag."

It will be fascinating to see if George Russell and Lewis Hamilton can continue to show the same form heading into the final part of the season and help Mercedes cement their P2 spot in the Constructors' Championship.