In FP2 ahead of the Bahrain GP, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished P1 and P2 respectively. In practice at least, they were miles ahead of Red Bull which was an encouraging sign. Citing this performance, Russell revealed that the engineers back at Brackley made some changes to the W15 that are now reflected on the timesheet.
This comes as a sheer surprise given the Silver Arrows were not particularly fast during pre-season testing in Bahrain. However, their one-lap pace was not the focus of testing, with Mercedes focusing more on long runs to test their race pace durability. The time charts were not too kind to them, and the mood among fans was grim. Most predicted another underwhelming year for the team, but those fears have begun evaporating.
Hamilton was the fastest driver in FP2, clocking a time of 1:30.374. After two years of struggles following the introduction of the new regulations, Hamilton finally admitted he was happy with the W15. Russell too, stated that the car felt different, because of the changes they made.
Russell said to The Race, “We made some changes from the test. And it exceeded our expectations.”
It is safe to say that everyone at Mercedes is relieved. Things don’t look too bad at the moment, but a 1-2 in practice is not their end goal. What Mercedes wants is to consistently fight for wins and podiums. With the W15, will this finally be reality?
Are Mercedes actually the fastest so far?
Even though Mercedes finished Thursday on top, it is unlikely that they are the fastest. Many feel that Red Bull is not showing its true potential, and that they had their engine power turned down. The RB20 was arguably fastest in testing, and the true pace will be visible on Friday.
Qualifying ahead of the Bahrain GP takes place on Friday, which is where the real game begins. It gives fans and teams a true picture of where everyone stands in the pecking order. This is where Lewis Hamilton feels Red Bull have an advantage.
Hamilton said as per deni on X, “We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We need to keep our heads down, keep working on the setup, and try to extract more. I think our long run pace is nowhere near the Red Bulls, for example, and I think we’re a lot closer, so we got some work to do there.”
Max Verstappen and Red Bull remain the favorites, despite an underwhelming practice session. Mercedes, along with Hamilton and Russell, will look to give them a run for their money, at the very least.
