“We’re definitely not out of it” – George Russell believes Mercedes engine is on a par with Ferrari

Samriddhi Jaiswal | 31/03/2022
"We're definitely not out of it" - George Russell believes Mercedes engine is on a par with Ferrari

George Russell thinks Mercedes’ engine is on par with Ferrari’s despite the former’s poor performance in the first two races of the season.

George Russell believes that Mercedes’ engine is on a par with Ferrari’s when turned up for qualifying sessions. However, the only two teams who have yet not scored any points in the races are powered Mercedes – Aston Martin and Williams.

Mercedes shares its PU with three other teams on the grid but still only three drivers – George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris – have been able to finish within the top 10.

Meanwhile, Ferrari powered teams are doing better than in 2021. Both Alfa Romeo and Haas seem to have improved a lot in their pace.

Haas is now fifth in the Constructors’ Standings, despite running only one car on race day in Jeddah, while Alfa is sixth.

Also Read: Former F1 driver ‘irritated’ by Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon’s duel in Jeddah

George Russell improved by Red Bull

Despite the poor performance of his new team, Russell does not think that the Mercedes are as far behind as some might think.

The 24-year-old explained that the straight-line speed of his W13 was on the level with Ferrari during Saturday’s qualifying in Jeddah.

“I think everything did look better when we turned the engines up for qualifying,” Russell said.

“We looked relatively on par with Ferrari in terms of straight-line speed. Red Bull was definitely running less wing than we were, but they seem to accelerate very, very fast when they get halfway down the straight,” the Briton explained.

“They are seemingly doing a better job at reducing their drag at higher speed. Their pace in the straights at the moment is extraordinary, so we need to do some work in all areas to catch our speed up.”

Also Read: NBA star Jimmy Butler freaks out in a F1 ride along with McLaren’s Lando Norris

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
George Russell Lando Norris Mercedes

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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