George Russell is optimistic that Mercedes can beat Ferrari to second in the Constructors’ Championship even though they have not been at their best in recent races. The Briton believes that since the W14 this season is unpredictable, they could produce a surprise during the season finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
When asked if Mercedes will be more competitive than Ferrari in Abu Dhabi, the 25-year-old replied (as quoted by formula1.com), “They were definitely pretty competitive here last year, but we’ve been surprised a lot this season in which teams are fast at which races and vice versa. We’re going in with an open mind“.
George Russell then added that while he expects Ferrari to be faster in qualifying, he believes that when it comes to the main race, “it will be a different story“. Ferrari have indeed struggled with tire management for most of the 2023 season and they cannot afford to have similar concerns during the Abu Dhabi GP this weekend.
Since the expectation is that the temperatures will be high for the weekend, it may indeed increase tire wear. While tire degradation is an issue for Ferrari, the concern for Mercedes is their unpredictability from one weekend to another.
There have been races where the Silver Arrows have been mighty competitive and then there have been others when they have just not got the pace to compete with the rest of their rivals. With just four points separating the two teams going into the season finale, the team that has a more consistent weekend is likely to finish second in the championship.
Do Ferrari have the edge after their performance in Las Vegas?
Ferrari arguably had the quickest car in Las Vegas as their two drivers registered the top two times in qualifying. Charles Leclerc started on pole while Carlos Sainz started all the way down in twelfth due to a 10-place grid penalty despite registering the second fastest time.
The Prancing Horse were also incredibly quick during the race as Leclerc almost beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Had it not been for the unfortunate timing of the safety car, the Monegasque could have very well won his first race of the 2023 season.
Since Ferrari have been the team in form, the expectation is that they will likely outscore Mercedes in this weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi. However, since the Italian outfit are currently four points behind the Silver Arrows, they cannot afford any reliability issues or collisions that may hamper their performance.
The fight between Mercedes and Ferrari is the big storyline for this weekend as Red Bull have already won the Constructors’ Championship. Meanwhile, when it comes to the Drivers’ Championship, the top three spots have already been decided.
