After one other troublesome qualifying session within the Miami Grand Prix, as Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton may handle no higher than seventh and eighth on the grid, the staff is now clear about how far off the tempo it’s.
Whereas it has religion that its present W15 automobile has delivered some progress, Russell means that among the challenges it’s dealing with are a consequence of it having gone too far in addressing earlier points.
Chatting with Sky Sports activities F1 about why Mercedes was caught close to the again of the chasing pack behind Purple Bull, Russell mentioned: “The actual fact is the stopwatch does not lie.
“We all know that most likely among the modifications we have made because the finish of final yr maybe overcompensated with among the growth objects we did.
“We have now limitations with the automobile now, that are a completely completely different limitation to what we had this time 12 months in the past.
“We did a lot work to unravel the issues, and we have sort of gone too far in that route. So, we all know we have to enhance, and we have to enhance shortly.”
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Russell has religion that Mercedes has an understanding of what it has finished unsuitable with its 2024 automobile, and it’s now a case of getting new components via the system to assist flip issues round.
Requested if the staff knew find out how to enhance the automobile, Russell mentioned: “Yeah, we positively know find out how to.
“After we take a look at the information, we perceive why we’re within the place we’re in proper now. Final yr, after we appeared on the information, we perceive why we had been in that very same place and I believe, sadly, we have most likely overcompensated to unravel the issues of final yr.
“We have gone from this excessive to that excessive now, and we have to type of rewind and discover ourself type of in a midway home.
“However developments and upgrades take eight weeks to run to the automobile. You be taught this drawback [at] race one or race two, and you may’t simply deliver these upgrades to the subsequent race.
“You’ve obtained to place them within the wind tunnel. Somebody has obtained to design it. Somebody’s obtained to attract it. Somebody’s obtained to construct it after which you’re midway via the season.
“I believe that is why it is so troublesome once you’re on the backfoot, to simply immediately make that progress. Everyone expects it tomorrow, and we would like it tomorrow, belief me, however that is the fact of F1.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W15
Photograph by: Erik Junius
Tyre sensitivities
Including to Mercedes’ issues, reckons Hamilton, is the truth that the staff has didn’t get on prime of understanding find out how to get essentially the most out of the present tyres.
He thinks that is a proof for why he and Russell could be so fast in some classes after which battle the subsequent.
“Attempting to get the tyres to work and to ship the utmost potential all through the entire lap is one thing that I’d say that we’re combating,” mentioned the seven-time world champion.
“We had that glimpse of hope in Q2 after which Q3 was nowhere.”
He added: “For us to be eight-tenths off is hard. Clearly combating the Haas. I do not know if that’s the true pace of our automobile or whether or not it is the tyres.
“I believe there’s loads in these tyres, and we’re simply struggling. We have not been ready to make use of all of them yr.”