They appeared to be a notable victim of the "porpoising" issue that many teams have experienced as a result of the new technical regulations.
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George Russell has stated that his Mercedes team is not performing as well as they would like ahead of the new Formula One season, but that he will do everything he can to get the most out of the car. In six days of pre-season testing in Barcelona and Sakhir, Mercedes set 777 laps, with Lewis Hamilton leading Russell in a Mercedes 1-2 on the third day in Spain.
However, they appeared to be a notable victim of the “porpoising” issue that many teams have experienced as a result of the new technical regulations, in which downforce is generated by the floor, and these roadblocks have led the Britons to speculate that Ferrari, Red Bull, and even McLaren may have the upper hand. Regardless of his relative performance, the 24-year-old is determined to make the best of what he has in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.
Read More – Mercedes’ George Russell disappointed with car’s performance at Bahrain testing
“I think when you get to qualifying and you sit in the car – it doesn’t matter if you’re a silver car, a black car, a blue car – your objective as a driver is always the same and the external factors almost disappear so obviously it’s a privilege to be art of such an incredible team but we’re here to make the car go as fast as possible, and I’m trying to make myself go as fast as possible,” he said.
Russell also acknowledged that the eight-time constructors’ champions were still behind where they want to be, but expressed optimism that they will find form in the first few rounds of the season.
“My goals are to try and make the car faster; I think we know we’re not quite where we want to be,” he said. “It’s clearly visible when you see it on the television that we’re bouncing around a lot especially compared to some of our main rivals and that’s what we need to get on top of.”
“The team have been working day and night [since the] test to try and resolve some of it to give [us] more performance so I believe there is potential in our car somewhere. Whether we’re going to be able to something with that this weekend of whether it’s a few races down the line I’m not too sure but fortunately the races will come thick and fast at the start of the season,” the Brit added.
