Mercedes undergo a 'reality check' at 2022 Bahrain GP despite George Russell delivering commendable performance

The 2022 Mercedes car and engine have not impressed so far this season. Granted, it's only the first race, and there are sure to be a lot of improvements to come - but the team is far from where they were at this time last year. They are relieved to have gotten a podium finish, which is owed to both Red Bulls being unable to finish the race.

Mercedes struggled to break into the top 4 this weekend and even struggled to keep Haas' Kevin Magnussen behind; he ultimately finished fifth. Again, this is largely thanks to both Red Bulls not finishing the race.

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2022 Bahrain GP: A rollercoaster race for Mercedes that ended with Hamilton in P3 after double DNF from Red Bull

Tire trouble

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 20: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 20, 2022 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Except the two McLarens, every car on the grid started with soft compound tires at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton was called in by his team to change tires on the 12th lap, though he later remarked on team radio that it seemed too early to pit. Most other teams didn't pit until laps later.

The problem wasn't just the early pit stop; Hamilton switched to the hard compound tires, which meant that he came out of the pit lane sliding and was easily overtaken by Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou. It took him some time to find traction with the hard tires, which ultimately made it harder for him to climb places in the race.

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Red Bull engine troubles

The sad truth is that if Red Bull had not experienced engine failure in both cars in the penultimate and final laps of the Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton would not have had a chance at the podium.

Before the race, Hamilton had himself said that the cars ahead of Mercedes (Ferrari and Red Bull) were in "another league." At the time that he said this, no one could have predicted the double-engine failures, but he's still not wrong. Red Bull does have an unreliable engine, we now know, but it is still significantly more powerful than the engine that Mercedes is driving this year. The other Formula 1 teams who drive with Mercedes engines (Williams, Aston Martin, and McLaren) have not been particularly thriving either.

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George Russell came through

George Russell during practice for Bahrain Grand Prix

One ray of light this weekend was George Russell's performance. Though he has filled in for Mercedes in the past and previously raced for Williams, a customer team, the Bahrain GP was his first race weekend as a driver for the Silver Arrows.

There is typically a learning curve when a driver switches teams. We saw this happen over the last few years with Daniel Riccardo struggling to find his bearings when he moved to Renault (now Alpine) in 2019, and again when he joined McLaren in 2021. Fortunately, Russell seems to have skipped this period and held his own this weekend, as much as could be expected.

He started the race in ninth place and was then able to make his way up to finish fourth at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, right behind Hamilton. He made up two positions in the first lap.

Unfortunately, Russell himself admitted in a post-race interview that the car does not have the pace to compete with the top teams. He went on to say that Toto spoke with him before the race, calling it a "test session" and admitting that they are currently "a long way behind [their] rivals." Mercedes has a long way to go this season, and they seem to be aware of this.

Lewis Hamilton on 3rd place podium at Bahrain Grand Prix 2022. (Image via Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Coming into today's Grand Prix, it seemed that Ferrari and Red Bull had already been locked in as the top dogs this season, but the late engine failures revealed a chink in Red Bull's armor that Mercedes can absolutely capitalize on. Their engine needs a lot of work, but we still have the whole season to come - a lot can change. Today's Bahrain Grand Prix is just a reminder that anything can happen.

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Also Check Out: F1 2022 Results