Russell Clarifies Mercedes's Focus Amid More Than 2-Second Lap Time Gap To Verstappen
F1Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 07:30
George Russell clarified that Meredes's goal during the first day of pre-season testing wasn't chasing the performance amid more than a second gap to leading Max Verstappen.
George Russell was the first and the only Mercedes driver in the seat of a W15 during the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain. The 25-year-old completed both morning and evening sessions.
Even though Mercedes encountered some power unit related issues during the first half of the day, Russell suggested to the media in Bahrain his team ended the day in a "reasonably good spot."
"We completed lots of laps and have plenty of data to go through tonight. We ended the day in a reasonably good spot, and we can build from here over the next two days."
The time sheets at the end of the day showed a gap of 2.765 seconds between Russell in Mercedes and the fastest man on the track- Max Verstappen in Red Bull.
On the other hand, the British driver didn't seem too bothered as he clarified his team's goal wasn't and won't be to chase the lap time in these first days of the testing.
"We will be focused on maximising mileage for learning rather than chasing an optimum sweet spot with the car. Overall, the W15 does feel nicer to drive than last year's car."
"We know that it's not about the feeling, but the speed. Nevertheless, today was about learning and not about chasing performance."
While the gap to Verstappen seemed big after the first day of testing, it essentially means nothing at the moment. The most critical comparison will be qualifying and the race next week, as Russell added:
"We're focused on ourselves at this test, and it will only be next week where we see where we stack up against the others. It was a positive first day and I'm looking forward to being back in the car on Friday."
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