As in Bahrain and Jeddah, Mercedes is not expecting a stunning performance in Melbourne. The German team looked to be in good shape at Albert Park on Friday morning, with second place to Lewis Hamilton in the EL1. But the drivers got caught in line during FP2, in a rain-disrupted session (Hamilton 13th, Russell 4th).
According to the seven-time world champion, it’s hard to hope for a surprise in qualifying for the Silver Arrows. “We are not going to be in competition with the Red Bulls. It will just be trying to see if we can go as high as possible. I think we have the pace to be around fifth, like in the last race.”said the Briton, who remains cautious about the hierarchy created on Friday and the data collected.
“The car felt a little better this morning, we made some changes but it didn’t work so we’ll fix it tonight. Then it rained so it wasn’t the best session. You don’t learn a lot when you’re in between.”
A step forward through the EL2 in Mercedes
Same story on the part of George Russell, who nonetheless believed the car’s balance had improved for him between sessions. He commented, “Obviously EL2 was a bit disappointing for everyone as the weather came in a bit of a surprise, but it was a reasonable session for us.” We’ve made a step forward since the first session, which is good. »
Finishing fourth at the conclusion of the Saudi Grand Prix two weeks ago, the young English driver believes Mercedes can still advance ahead of qualifying, but he also believes it will be difficult to snatch the top four in Melbourne. “We’ll have to see how that translates tomorrow. I wasn’t happy with the car in the first free practice session and was happier in the second, so yeah, it’s not that bad.”
ALSO READ> Alonso: Aston Martin ‘favors dry conditions’ in Melbourne
“Travel aficionado. Incurable bacon specialist. Tv evangelist. Wannabe internet enthusiast. Typical creator.”