Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes went off to a slow start in 2023, which made them wary of a repeat of the previous season. However, the progress they made between the first and second races was noticeable, as they outperformed both Ferraris in Jeddah, unlike Bahrain.
Mercedes’ progress became even more evident this weekend in Melbourne, with George Russell securing the Silver Arrows’ first front-row start of the season. As expected, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the pole position, but Russell surprised everyone by finishing P2.
A challenging Quali session. But what a job by these two. 💙💜👏 pic.twitter.com/Or8ZvfzSZS
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 1, 2023
Hamilton, who has been out-qualified by Russell in all three races this season so far, finished in third and will start Sunday’s race from the second row alongside long-time rival Fernando Alonso. Despite being slower than Russell, Hamilton is thrilled with the progress made by them. After the qualifying session on Saturday, the Brit was ecstatic with his car’s performance and took to the team radio to congratulate the team.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton rejoice
Hamilton took to the team radio after the qualifying session on Saturday to congratulate his team for their spectacular result. The 38-year-old knows that they want to be even faster, but it is a step in the right direction.
“Amazing job, lads!” said Hamilton. “What a result! Let’s keep pushing.”
📻 | Lewis Hamilton: “Amazing job, lads! What a result! Let’s keep pushing.”
📻 | Toto Wolff: “Yea Lewis, good effort from all of us. Coming back, slowly but surely.”
— deni (@fiagirly) April 1, 2023
Mercedes CEO and team principal, Toto Wolff too was happy like everyone else in the garage. He replied to Hamilton’s message by assuring him that they will make even more progress in the coming races.
“Yea Lewis,” Wolff replied. “Good effort from all of us. Coming back, slowly but surely.”
George Russell disappointed about missing out on P1
Mercedes showed very strong pace around Albert Park on Sunday, but Russell admitted that it was unexpected. He revealed that the car felt ‘alive’ during their Q3 runs and lauded the workers in the garage and at the factory for the effort they put in over the last few weeks.
However, the fact that their car was so strong makes Russell a ‘bit disappointed’ at the fact that he couldn’t get pole position. After the race, he shared his thoughts on how the W14 felt after the qualifying session.
“What a session for us,” the 25-year-old said. “The car felt a live and the lap was on the limit. It’s a little bit disappointing that we didn’t get pole position.”
