George Russell, a driver for Mercedes AMG F1, has expressed that the team has identified the reasons behind their decline in performance during the first two races of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Despite positive results during practice sessions, Russell and his teammate Lewis Hamilton have struggled to secure significant points. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has acknowledged that the team’s performance in Jeddah did not meet expectations. However, Russell believes that their rivals’ success may not accurately reflect Mercedes’ capabilities. He remains confident that the team has potential and believes that with more time and practice, they will be able to maximize their performance and compete with the other top teams.
In spite of facing challenges with the current ground effect cars, Mercedes has achieved podium finishes in the previous two seasons in Australia. Russell, the British driver, even led the race a year ago. He remains hopeful that Mercedes can compete for a top-three finish this weekend as the team plans to use practice sessions to address their issues.
“We have performed well here in the past two seasons,” Russell acknowledged. “Last year, we qualified second and third, and we were in the fight for a victory at one point. We have gained valuable knowledge from the first two races.”
“We are all determined to test various aspects of the car tomorrow, in order to better understand how to maximize its performance. It seems that this year’s tire compound is different, and Ferrari tends to excel in qualifying with the C5 tire.”
Russell also highlighted Aston Martin’s unpredictable results last season, emphasizing the importance of not judging Mercedes solely based on their current form, but rather on their ultimate outcome.
“However, if you remove Red Bull from the equation, there is an exciting battle right behind them,” he continued. “But our goal is not to fight for second place; we want to contend for victory. We are aware that it is a difficult task, but fortunes can change rapidly in this sport.”
“During our meetings this morning, we saw Aston Martin on the podium. If someone had predicted this after the first six races last year, when they finished fifth in the championship, it would have been hard to believe. It demonstrates how quickly things can turn around.”