Geroge Russell believes that the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit will prove to be “a good test” to compare Mercedes in the Formula 1 pecking order against rivals McLaren.
Mercedes has endured its worst start to a season since 2011 and the Brackley-based outfit sits fourth in the Constructors’ standings on 34 points, 35 behind third-placed McLaren on 69 points.
Ferrari meanwhile has established itself as a clear ‘best of the rest’ entrant, sitting second in the standings with 120 points, just 21 behind leaders Red Bull with 141 points.
Russell has identified the low/medium speed corner configuration of the Shanghai circuit as a potential bonus to Mercedes bid to even the score on the likes of McLaren, with the MCL38 more in tune with the high-speed corners such as those found at Suzuka last time out.
“I think this will be a really good test this weekend to see where we do fall out, compared to McLaren as well,” Russell said (via Motorsport.com).
“They seem to be exceptionally strong in the high-speed corners and a bit weak in the low-speed corners.
“So, I think there is a lot more potential to be shown. I don’t think we have optimised the car and its set-up in the last couple of races. So that’s what we’re homing in on.”
McLaren picked up fifth and eighth last time out in Japan courtesy of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, compared to seventh and ninth for Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton respectively.
But whilst McLaren still appears to be a team on an upward curve, albeit one that has plateaued since its remarkable 2023 turnaround, Mercedes’ troubles in 2024 have been plain for all to see.
The team suffered a double DNF in Australia and has encountered several correlation issues with its new W15 machine, a redesigned car concept which was supposed to close the gap to the front of the pack.
Instead, Mercedes looks to have taken a step back relative to its rivals with on-track data failing to replicate the performance shown via simulations.
Correlation issues aside, Russell believes that fine margins would have seen the outfit paint a far prettier picture over the opening four rounds of the season, citing the close competitive order in qualifying and misjudged strategy calls in Suzuka a fortnight ago.
“I think small things make a big difference to the overall result,” he said.
“I think an extra tenth or two in qualifying and you are four positions higher on the grid. We wouldn’t [in Japan] have then made the bold choice of starting on the hard, which, with the information we had at the time, was absolutely the correct decision. The race would have panned out very, very differently.
“So, I think we’re in a battle of fine margins right now. And I think we’ve been on the wrong end of that for the past few race weekends, at two circuits that I don’t think really suit the characteristics of that car.”
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