"We couldn't keep up with them" - Carlos Sainz claims Lewis Hamilton and George Russell's Mercedes are a 'lot faster than people think'

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has said that it was tough for him to keep up with the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Jeddah.

Sainz had a decent qualifying session in Melbourne, as he outqualified his teammate Charles Leclerc and ended in P5. However, he said that they could not match the speed of Mercedes, who will start the race in P2 and P3 with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, respectively.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Sainz said:

"Mercedes are a lot faster than people think. In the race, they had a pace very close to Fernando in Jeddah. Lewis and George, they were flat out, and we couldn't keep up with them. So that car is quick. It isn't as quick as the Red Bull; no one is, but they put qualifying together, and they can be a very strong package, too."

Spaniard Fernando Alonso, too, agreed with with his compatriot, adding:

“Not really. I think they were already fast in Jeddah already. And they were fast in FP2. They are always fast. If you read the comments, it seems that they have a car that is out of Q3. But it is not that car.”

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“I’m so happy with this; this is totally unexpected" - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton said that he's very pleased with his P3 in qualifying in Melbourne and added that he was surprised by the car's performance. Speaking to F1.com, he said:

“I’m so happy with this. This is totally unexpected. Really, really proud of the team. George did a fantastic job today, so for us to be up in the two front rows is honestly a dream for us. We are all working as hard as we can to be back right at the front, so to be this close to Red Bull is honestly incredible. I hope tomorrow we can give them a bit of a run for their money, and we hope the weather is good."

His teammate George Russell said that a win is possible for the team on Sunday, adding:

“We’ve got to go for the win. Max is going to be extremely fast; there’s no hiding that. I think it’s difficult to overtake around this circuit so the start, Lap 1, is going to be vital. The Red Bull has extraordinary top speed, so it’s going to be very difficult to fight with Max, but let’s see how we get on. … If the opportunity’s there, we’ll go for it.”

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will look to work in tandem to challenge Verstappen for the win.