Following the first day of practice on Formula 1's return to the Sepang International Circuit, George Russell candidly admitted that the Mercedes car is currently lacking pace and requires significant set-up adjustments. Despite introducing a major upgrade package, the German squad struggled with massive tyre degradation and challenging track conditions.
George Russell
The aerodynamic upgrade, which is Mercedes's largest since the Canadian Grand Prix at the end of May, introduced revisions to the floor and rear suspension of the championship-leading W17. In opening practice, George Russell finished second behind Max Verstappen, but in the second session both he and title-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli slipped to seventh and eighth respectively after failing to string together clean flying laps on soft tyres.
"But with these conditions, tyre deg is huge for everybody and the cars are operating in a very different window so I think, as a team, we just haven't got the car quite where we need it to be," George Russell noted. "We need to make some set-up adjustments. We're a bit off the pace." Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc set the pace for Ferrari, ahead of Isack Hadjar for Red Bull and Lando Norris for McLaren.
George Russell remains hopeful that the new parts will help him master the sweltering and abrasive Sepang tarmac: "The update is hopefully another step forward, but there are no guarantees in F1. The stopwatch is always the final judge. Our focus is on understanding the package quickly, executing the weekend well, and aiming to put ourselves in the fight at the front." In the current drivers' standings, George Russell sits in 2nd place with 236 points.
Source: Motorsport
