Russell Frustrated After Watching Back Of Alonso's Car For 40 Laps

Tuesday, 12 March 2024 at 10:30

George Russell wasn't too happy with his result from the second Grand Prix weekend of the season. He suggested watching the back of Fernando Alonso's car for 40 laps was frustrating.

The number 63 driver started the race from P7 and found himself behind Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin after Oscar Piastri overtook the Spaniard.

The British driver then spent most of the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix driving within 2 seconds of the 42-year-old but could not overtake. When he was asked for reflections after the race, Russell joked:

"The reflection was just seeing Fernando's backside the whole race! I was between 1.1 and 1.6 for 40 laps, so that was a little bit frustrating."

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Russell didn't perform a single overtake throughout the race and only gained one position when Lando Norris fell behind him after his gamble with strategy didn't work out.

"When he went quicker, I followed him. When he went slower, I followed him, and I just couldn't get any closer. A long afternoon. Contrasting feelings compared to [qualifying], so we need to understand where the car's at and what we need to improve for Melbourne."

Mercedes looked like the third fastest car in Bahrain, but both McLaren and Aston Martin, who were behind the Silver Arrows during the first race, finished ahead in Jeddah. Asked where the German team sits in the pecking order, the 25-year-old responded:

"Right now, we're fluctuating in performance quite a lot. We're seeing potential in the car, but unfortunately, these last two weekends, we haven't really shown it when it's mattered, so we need to understand why that is and what we need to do."

Toto Wolff suggested Mercedes can match just about anyone's speed on straights and in slow corners but is losing all the time in the fast corners, which is an issue that needs to be tackled. The Briton added: