George Russell expressed disappointment after achieving his lowest finish of the 2024 season at the Miami Grand Prix. He cautioned Mercedes to brace for a challenging period ahead, acknowledging the team’s struggles with its W15 car.
In Miami, both Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton failed to score points in the sprint race, starting from 11th and 12th on the grid. Although they improved their starting positions for the main race, they were only able to secure the fourth row.
During the race, Hamilton climbed to sixth place and engaged in a rare battle with Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. However, both drivers agreed that the team needed to make improvements to the car.
Mercedes is experiencing its worst start to a season since 2012, with 64 points after the Miami race but no podium finishes yet.
Russell doesn’t anticipate an immediate change in the team’s performance.
“McLaren qualified P17 and P18 12 months ago in Miami, and they won, so it shows what is possible when you get things right,” Russell said. “But right now, we don’t have things right and need to make changes quickly.”
He added, “We do have a few things coming in the short-term but nothing in the short-term that is going to transform us into race-winners. So it is going to be painful for a few weeks. I think we have to accept that we are the fourth fastest team.”
Russell concluded, “The lap-times and the championship don’t lie, this is where we are and I think we’re fighting for the P5-P8 region week in, week out.”
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