George Russell has insisted that Mercedes understands how to take the “next big leap” with upgrades that will allow it to register wins in the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Mercedes has got a grasp on the current ground effect regulations at last over recent rounds to emerge as a genuine competitor at the front with continual upgrades.
Russell capitalised on Mercedes’ upturn to record pole position and a podium in Canada, while Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes third and fourth in Spain last weekend.
However, Hamilton was still 15 seconds back from second-placed Lando Norris in the McLaren, who was two seconds behind race-winner Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was adamant that its margin to the top two wasn’t representative, but Hamilton has conceded that it needs more updates to close the gap.
But with Hamilton having also teased that there are more developments in the pipeline, Russell is adamant the German squad knows the areas it has to improve upon.
Asked whether Spain provided confirmation that Mercedes’ pace in Montreal was real and not another false dawn, Russell responded: “Yeah, 100%.
“I mean, we finished, I don’t know how many seconds behind the win, 20 seconds maybe, which is still a lot in the scheme of things.
“But we know last week we had the fastest car. You’re not going to have the fastest car every single weekend and we really feel like we’re riding a bit of a momentum has shifted.
“And it’s with us and we know what we need to do to take the next big leap with our updates. So, we’re feeling confident.”
Russell believes that Mercedes’ isolated position in the standings behind its main competitors will be an advantage when the limits on aero testing time are changed.
The Briton has reiterated his faith in the eight-time F1 champions to unlock that last step and is relishing the chance to fight for victories before the 2026 rules switch.
“I think even, you know, we’re fourth in the Constructors’ Championship at the moment,” he acknowledged.
“We’ve got more wind tunnel time than all of our rivals and we know what we need to do to make these big strides now.
“So, you know, we’re all feeling excited for the remainder of the season. I’m confident we’ll win races this year now and going into next year.
“Who knows what can happen. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but, you know, the pace we showed last week and the pace we showed this week, you know, we’ve led two races in two weekends now since having the upgrades. I don’t think we’d have expected that at the start of the season.”
Although Norris rued lost ground at the start seeing him miss out on a probable win in the “quickest car”, Russell is certain that Red Bull still harbours the advantage.
“I mean, I think he’s got the fastest car and, you know, you look at his pace, it was very well controlled in that first stint,” Russell said on Verstappen and Red Bull.
“He was probably managing six-tenths across the lap in the high-speed corners and when you’ve got that buffer, you can afford to manage the tyres more.
“Lando caught him, he turned it up when he needed to. Max is one of the best drivers ever but that package between him and the team was kind of like Lewis in the Mercedes era.
“It’s all gelling, it’s all coming together. We just need to keep on applying that pressure.”
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