Mercedes F1 driver shares frustration about 'the only thing on the car' that the team doesn't make itself

Mercedes driver George Russell faced difficulty in getting his tires into the optimal operating window. The Brit was vocal about his frustration with the inability to understand Pirelli’s F1 tires.

Finishing P8 in the Sprint in Austria, Russell spoke to Sky Sports F1 on how Mercedes and the other teams struggle to understand the Pirelli tires which they cannot access in their factories while designing and testing their cars.

Russell said:

"The tires are the only thing on the car that we don't make ourselves. You're given a product and you can't even take that product back home with you to analyze or do your own testing. Here's what you've got, and deal with it."

Having only qualified at P11 in the Grand Prix and 15th for the Sprint at the Red Bull ring, Russell said it was difficult for him to get his tires in their correct operating window.

Adding further, Russell said:

"If we could take that tire home and chop it up, the brilliant engineers would then probably be able to understand it more, but obviously Pirelli believe that's their secret recipe and want to keep hold of it.”

However, he did admit that having a component outside of their control makes the overall race interesting. Speaking on it, he said:

"It makes it interesting, but it's equally very frustrating for everyone."

---

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton gear up for upgrades to the Mercedes W14 in Silverstone

F1 Grand Prix of Austria

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hinted at a big upgrade to the cars of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the upcoming British Grand Prix. The engineering director of the Silver Arrows, Andrew Shovlin, has confirmed that a new front wing shall be seen on the W14 at Silverstone.

Mercedes made the initial portion of their extensive improvements to the W14 concept in Monaco, and since then, their performances have significantly improved as a result of their car's closer alignment with other front-runners.

Shovlin hopes that W14's new upgrade will propel the team forward after a bad and underwhelming weekend in Austria after the standards they set in Spain.

During the Silver Arrows' post-Austria debrief, speaking of the British GP, Shovlin said:

“Well, it’s a fantastic event that we really look forward to.”

In a bid to be more competitive, Ferrari and Aston Martin had also added new front wings as upgrades to their cars. While Mercedes claims to have only replaced their front wing, it is highly probable that it might not be the lone upgrade to the car this weekend.