George Russell believes Mercedes “overcompensated” with Car of the Year in their bid for a breakthrough in F1’s current rules era, as their disappointing start to the 2024 season continues at the Miami GP.
Mercedes brought an upgrade to this weekend’s event, but neither Russell nor Lewis Hamilton scored any points in the Sprint after being eliminated in the second part of Sprint Qualifying.
They improved on Saturday’s qualifying but finished more than eight-tenths behind polesitter Max Verstappen. Russell finished seventh and Hamilton eighth.
After abandoning its ‘no sidepods’ car concept 12 months ago, Mercedes underwent further changes over the winter to bring it closer to the front.
The opening six events show that hasn’t happened yet, as the team is enduring its worst start to the season since 2011.
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Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes struggled to utilize the full potential of their tires during qualifying, while George Russell agreed they were a step behind McLaren and Ferrari.
“The stopwatch doesn’t lie. We know some of the changes we’ve made since the end of last year, maybe we’ve overcompensated due to some of the development items we’ve done,” Russell told Sky Sports F1.
“We have limitations in the car now, completely different limitations than we had 12 months ago.
“We’ve tried too hard to fix the problem and gone too far in that direction. We know we need to improve and we need to improve quickly.”
Russell: Mercedes knows how to solve problems
This year’s Mercedes was slower in all areas compared to the Red Bull and Ferrari, so it’s not entirely clear what limitations Russell is referring to.
Mercedes failed to comply with the current ground effect regulations introduced in 2022.
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George Russell guides Martin Brundle around the tight corners of the Miami International Autodrome circuit.
Data initially seen in the wind tunnel did not correlate with performance on the track, and the team also struggled with the bouncing effect known as dolphin.
Russell insists Mercedes, which won eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021, “clearly knows” how to solve the problem.
He added, “When we look at the data, we understand why we are in the position we are in. When we look at the data, we understand why we are in the same position.”
“Unfortunately, we probably overcompensated to solve the problems of last year and went from one extreme to the other. Now we find ourselves in a kind of middle ground.
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz looks back at all the key talking points from Miami Grand Prix qualifying.
“If it takes eight weeks to apply a new upgrade to a car, you’ll notice this in Race 1, Race 2. You can’t apply the upgrade to the next race.
“You have to put it in the wind tunnel, you have to design it, you have to draw it, you have to build it and suddenly the season is halfway through.
“That’s why it’s so difficult to suddenly make progress when you’re behind. Everyone expects tomorrow. We want that too, but that’s the reality of F1.”
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Miami Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights
Hamilton: Mercedes is struggling to understand tires
The W15 was very inconsistent from session to session, sometimes even from lap to lap. Hamilton was third fastest in Q2 in Qualifying, but was half a second slower in Q3.
Hamilton said track temperatures were similar throughout qualifying in Miami. This was simply a case of performance fluctuations due to failure to grip soft tires.
“These tires are very sensitive. Getting them to work and trying to deliver their maximum potential is something we struggle with,” said the seven-time world champion.
“Then there was a glimpse of hope in the second quarter and then nowhere in the third. It was a much better day in general. We made progress in the sprint and getting into the third quarter in qualifying was a positive.
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Lewis Hamilton loses his place to Yuki Tsunoda after Kevin Magnussen runs off the track to defend his position.
“Q3 wasn’t very good, but I’m grateful to be able to get in there. It’s tough for us to get out of 8/10. We’re fighting Haas and I don’t know if it’s the actual speed of our car or the tyres.
“I think there are a lot of areas with this tire that we struggle with… We haven’t been able to use it all year.”
The Mercedes pair have the McLarens of Oscar Piatri and Lando Norris just ahead of them on the grid and Russell hopes they can challenge the Woking-based team.
“Looking ahead and hopefully there is no pressure from behind, P7 and P8 are where we are at the moment we have to accept,” Russell said.
“We are one step behind Ferrari and McLaren, one step behind Red Bull. Our results in qualifying were maximal, but I am confident we can go one step further.”
Live Miami GP schedule on Sky Sports F1
Sunday May 5th
6.05pm: F1 Academy Race 2
7.30pm: Build-up to Grand Prix Sunday Miami GP*
9 p.m.: Miami Grand Prix*
11 PM: Checkered Flag: Miami GP Reaction*
Midnight: Ted’s Notes*
*It will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event
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