"There's nothing substantial this weekend" - George Russell provides grim outlook for Mercedes until the car is optimized

Mercedes driver George Russell claims the team has not brought in substantial changes to the Australian Grand Prix. The Briton claims that his W13 has a lot of potential and lap time in it once it is optimized.

Despite rumors of a significant upgrade being brought to Albert Park, Mercedes have not brought any major changes to the highly-awaited weekend. The team, however, is trying different rear wing configurations between Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished P7 at the end of the first practice session (FP1) in Melbourne.

Speaking about the gap to rivals Ferrari and Red Bull, George Russell said:

“We’re a long way behind Ferrari and Red Bull. I think we were probably further behind them in Jeddah [than in Bahrain] and we understand why, but obviously, when I think we had things optimized, or more optimized in Bahrain, we were still half a second, six-tenths behind. So we need to obviously close that gap, but there’s nothing substantial this weekend that will do that. It’s going to take time and I think we just have to be disciplined and patient.”

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Mercedes more optimistic than frustrated, claims George Russell

George Russell claims the German team are not succumbing to the immense pressures they are experiencing, but instead are optimistic about finding a solution to the porpoising problem that has plagued them since pre-season testing. The Briton claims the Silver Arrows know why they are off the pace when compared to Red Bull and Ferrari and are working night and day to arrive at a solution.

He elaborated, saying:

“More optimism and excitement, to be honest, because we do believe there is a solution, and we do believe there’s a lot of lap time on the table once we do optimise that. So we’re not here scratching our heads, not understanding why we’re off the pace. We absolutely know why we’re off the pace, and we know what we need to work on to improve that, and having that knowledge, having that understanding of what the issues are, and having the belief that we can solve it is quite an exciting place to be, because it gives us all something to go at.”

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton echoed his fellow Briton's comments, claiming that while the team has not brought major changes to the weekend, they have improved the car bit by bit.

Russell finished P12 at the end of the first practice session while Hamilton finished in P7, promising more action from the German team.