While everyone expected Ferrari and McLaren to be challenging Red Bull in Canada, Mercedes unexpectedly turned out to be the surprise wild card. The Silver Arrows got their first pole position since Hungary last season as George Russell’s stellar pace throughout the weekend came in handy during qualifying. When asked about the prospects of a victory, the #63 driver is feeling confident to double his wins tally.
Speaking on BBC’s F1: Chequered Flag podcast, Russell stated, “It’s been a couple of years of difficulty. But we really feel that we are on the right track now and I think we got more to come. Well at the moment, we are the favorites. Because we have got the fastest car. I am feeling great behind the wheel.”
However, the Briton did admit how it is not certain that they would clinch their first Grand Prix win in two years in Montreal. The weather can play a huge role in deciding the outcome of the Canadian GP and Mercedes have a lot of work to do, with Max Verstappen and the McLaren duo right behind them.
However, the Brackley outfit seemed to have gained a good amount of performance with their new front wing. This upgraded wing is helping to resolve the low-speed understeer and high-speed stability issues that the W15 was having before the Canadian GP weekend.
While Russell has stated that things are looking good with their improved pace in Montreal, this performance has its caveats. There is no guarantee that the W15 will continue performing as it has this weekend when F1 travels to Barcelona and other European tracks.
Thus, if the Silver Arrows can maintain this performance level in the upcoming two to three races, it will reveal a better and clearer picture of their standing relative to the top three.
However, Russell is still quite optimistic about winning the Canadian GP and precisely he should be. After missing out on the win in Singapore last year, the 26-year-old has a point to prove. Besides, he has been the better driver on pace relative to his veteran teammate, Lewis Hamilton.
How George Russell is leading Mercedes’ charge in 2024
Both Russell and Hamilton were right on the money in terms of setting the pace in Canada. However, as the weekend progressed towards qualifying, the seven-time champion could not hook up a good lap at the right time.
This is where Russell has excelled as his pace over a single lap has been better than Hamilton’s in 2024, albeit by a slim margin. The average qualifying gap between the Mercedes duo this year is only 0.042 seconds.
Thus, it was shocking that Hamilton could only manage to get a P7 result in Q3 in Montreal, 0.280 seconds off Russell’s time. However, there were factors such as a slipstream that helped the #63 driver.
On the other hand, Hamilton’s lap was compromised with the tires not warmed up. Now, the 39-year-old has his work cut out to join his teammate on the podium on Sunday.
Couldn’t get any closer than this pic.twitter.com/Dr5iU006PP
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 8, 2024
Post-qualifying, Hamilton said, “It’s been feeling great all weekend. So, despite starting P7, I hope we can have a decent race. It is tough to overtake here and the cars ahead are quite close, so it will be challenging, but I’ll be doing my best.”
With Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso ahead of him, the #44 driver would fancy his chances to at least break into the top five in the opening laps of the Grand Prix.
From there on, Hamilton will have to unlock the potential of the upgraded Mercedes if he wishes to beat both McLarens. While there is a chance for the podium, the Briton would hope for his good old ally – rain – to ease things out.
