(Motorsport-Total.com) – Mercedes started the Formula 1 weekend in Miami slowly, but George Russell considered it a conciliatory finish with fourth place. In the race, the Briton was able to fight his way up from sixth on the grid and get the most out of the car. “It was a satisfying race for us,” he says.
George Russell was able to defeat Carlos Sainz in the ring
“We finished fourth on our own and beat the Ferraris, which was really satisfying and I couldn’t do more,” says the Mercedes driver. “Today was a normal day for us after the challenges of qualifying. But we still have work to do to at least get ahead of Aston Martin and close the gap against Red Bull.”
Because Russell had no chance in the race against the Red Bulls and Aston Martin driven by Fernando Alonso – even though Max Verstappen only started from ninth. But well, even Sergio Perez, who started from pole position, in the other mighty Red Bull didn’t stand a chance against the Dutchman.
Russell himself started from sixth and managed to make up for first against Kevin Magnussen (Haas) on the first lap. Although Verstappen passed him a few laps later, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) held turn 1 when Verstappen passed his former teammate.
After his pit stop on lap 17, where he switched from moderators to fanatics, he first had to work his way through a few cars to the back, but his personal overtaking highlight had yet to come: maneuvering against Carlos Sainz at the end of the race. Long straight back.
Past Sainz and Hamilton
“It was really fun because it was a fair and good maneuver,” he says. “I had to be really firm because the track was so dirty right off the line. I didn’t know how much grip I had and if I was going to be able to do it,” said Russell. But Ferrari didn’t seem to be a competitor.
Before that, Russell had also passed Lewis Hamilton, who had slowed down after turn 11, although he had just announced that he would let Russell through, but he didn’t want to slow down. Hamilton was following a different strategy and had to dig in again at the time:
“I thank Lewis for letting me through in this condition and letting me race,” said Russell. Of course he was in a different situation. “We have a really good relationship at the moment and we only want the best for the team,” he affirms.
We hope to upgrade Imola
And so, after a rocky start to the weekend, Miami ended on a conciliatory note. However, Russell is of course unhappy with the overall situation: “It’s hard to drive at the moment and there’s a lot we need to improve,” he says.
Was this the true extent of Red Bull’s dominance?
In this video we explain why we lost heart after Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s show of strength at Miami GP.
to the video section
So Mercedes is looking forward to the next race at Imola, where it is waiting for a comprehensive upgrade of the W14. I hope this is positive, but it tempers expectations: “It won’t change the world for us in the short term, but hopefully it’s a step in the right direction,” says Russell.
He does not want to promise too much, but he prefers to give the answer on the right track. “We’ll have to see how the upgrades work out when we get there. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’s great but we won’t know until Friday morning.”
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