George Russell believes that Mercedes had the performance to fight Max Verstappen for victory in Qatar.
In many ways, the Qatar GP was a missed opportunity for Mercedes. The first-lap incident between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton squandered a golden chance to increase the gap to Ferrari in the standings.
Mechanical issues prevented Sainz from starting the race, giving the Silver Arrows an opening to solidify 2nd place in the constructors. However, the night race in Losail soon became one of damage limitation.
The 25-year-old salvaged an impressive 4th place, showing strong pace in the W14. Despite dropping to last place after the early Safety Car, the British showed good pace and tyre management.
However, McLaren and Verstappen were beyond reach, as the Woking outfit demonstrated the MCL60’s increasingly predictable speed. It goes without saying – Andrea Stella’s team are legitimate contenders at the front.
Russell rues what could have been
However, speaking to the media post-race, George Russell made clear what he thought was possible for Mercedes:
“I see no reason why not. We believe that we were on pace, if not faster than McLaren,” he explained.
“Seeing that Piastri finished so close to Max was really quite surprising.
“I’ve got one goal, and that’s to finish P2 in the team’s Championship…
“I still have full faith we’re going to achieve it.”
In many ways, most of the conversation surrounding Mercedes was related to the Turn 1 incident rather than the W14’s performance. After all, recovering to 4th place – whilst impressive – is not enough to detract from teammates colliding.
Big questions have been asked about the Mercedes pairing – and whether two evenly matched drivers can work for the betterment of the team. Only recently, in Singapore and Japan, Hamilton and Russell compromised each other’s results.
In fairness, the German constructor is not the only outfit with this dilemma. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are also frequently competing for the same piece of tarmac.
Meanwhile, at McLaren, Lando Norris expressed frustration on team radio after being ordered to stay behind Piastri.
Although neither of these teams has an imminent problem, next year could pose more questions of their ability to manage such closely matched drivers.
Final updates to prepare for 2024
However, as mentioned previously, this aspect of the race should not detract from the pace shown by Mercedes in Losail. Considering the team’s difficulties in 2023, this year’s package is holding its own.
Toto Wolff insists that the W15 will be a completely different car – as the team pursues a new concept for 2024. Amidst criticisms during pre-season from Hamilton and Russell alike, Mercedes will hope to have produced a car with favorable handling characteristics.
Above all, they will be eager to re-assert themselves as Championship contenders. More upgrades will arrive to the W14 this year in COTA, with the intention of establishing a baseline for next season. In line with this objective, a new floor should feature for the team in Austin.
Frankly, debating whether Mercedes had the pace to fight Red Bull in Qatar is of secondary importance. Red Bull has comprehensively out developed Mercedes since 2022, whilst McLaren closed the gap to the Silver Arrows in just six months.
For a team with such F1 success, only victory is acceptable. And so, at Mercedes, all resources are concentrated on achieving a successful campaign next year.
