Russell: Bouncing Mercedes F1 car is a “killer to drive”

George Russell says his Mercedes W13 is a “killer to drive” as porpoising continues to frustrate the Brackley Formula 1 outfit.

George Russell, Mercedes W13

Russell and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth in Miami last weekend, although they were well off the pace of the Red Bulls and Ferraris ahead.

They had looked much more competitive in Friday practice, but that form faded as the weekend went on. Nevertheless, Russell remains convinced that the performance is in the car.

“Yeah it is there, we just need to try and unlock it,” he said. “I think we still don’t really understand why it’s so unpredictable.

“Toto [Wolff] is throwing the word diva around a lot, but I think that’s a bit of an understatement, because it’s so unpredictable. When the thing just starts bouncing in the corners, it’s a killer to drive.”

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, with engineers

George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, with engineers

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

Russell admitted that the team was mystified at the way its form fell away after a strong start on Friday in Miami.

“We’ve known all along there is a fast racing car there. Friday was a complete outlier, we don’t really understand why," he said.

“Obviously Lewis did a better job than I on Saturday, qualified P6, but even fuel and power corrected, his fastest laps were on Friday, whereas every other driver improved over one second.

“My race pace was two tenths slower than Leclerc on Friday, and on Sunday it’s back to half a second to a second, so I don’t know.

“I’d love to give you an answer to be honest. We’ve got the brightest engineers in the business working day and night to try and understand it, and we still don’t really have a clear answer as to why yet.

“So we need to keep on analysing, and I think this weekend may turn out to be one of the most important weekends when we look back.”

Read Also:

Russell acknowledged that for the moment fifth and sixth is an optimum result for Mercedes, given the form of the two top teams.

“I think five and six is where we deserve to be," said Russell. "Obviously we’ve probably underperformed at some other circuits, especially on Saturdays, which makes it difficult for our Sunday.

“For sure this weekend as well we’ve shown the most amount of promise, but a long way off still.

“I mean, there’s a fast car there. We’ve only got to look at the data from Friday and compare it to the data today and Saturday and look at the differences. But it’s odd, this sport is funny sometimes, and these new cars are certainly challenging.”

shares
comments

Related video

Red Bull denies it is burning through F1 development budget

Ferrari chasing answers over Miami low-speed anomaly

The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing

The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jonathan Noble

The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing The war reality that shines a light on the job Red Bull is doing

How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14

How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14 How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14

Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate

Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Alex Kalinuackas

Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate Why the highlight of F1 2023 so far should end Monaco's calendar slot debate

Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory

Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory Why Alonso and Aston made the call that guaranteed Verstappen's Monaco victory

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Alex Kalinauckas

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Jonathan Noble

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Matt Kew

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari? Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Subscribe