After Mercedes’ “Embarrassing” Loss to McLaren, George Russell Exposes W15’s Absurd Issue

One of the most embarrassing feelings for a works Formula 1 team is to lose out to its customer team. And that’s exactly what happened with Mercedes at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Having started 7th on the grid, the Mercedes of George Russell failed to beat the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. The other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who was on a similar strategy as Lando Norris, also failed to pass the papaya car in the final stint on soft tires. However, George Russell believes that it’s not about their rivals getting faster, he thinks that the W15 is getting slower.

Piastri made a strong start, even overtaking the experienced Fernando Alonso early on. He then capitalized on an early Safety Car period to change his tires. Interestingly, McLaren made the strategic decision not to pit both their drivers simultaneously, and so did Mercedes, leaving Lewis Hamilton out when everyone else took new tires. This meant that Norris stayed out longer on track, leading the race for a few laps before eventually pitting. However, both Mercedes failed to make any impressions whatsoever on the cars ahead.

George Russell thinks Mercedes fades away as the weekend progresses

Russell likened the Jeddah race weekend to the season opener in Bahrain. In Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes 1-2 during FP2, with Russell securing third in qualifying and finishing fifth in the Grand Prix. However, Russell noted a concerning trend – instead of rival teams improving throughout the rounds, he felt that Mercedes was “getting slower“ across the sessions.

The Brit expressed his concern, stating as per Autosport, “We’re still really trying to understand this car because we have shown true performance at points over the last two weekends.” This highlights the team’s initial strong showings in practice sessions, only to witness a drop-off in pace as the weekend progresses. Former Ferrari boss, Peter Windsor, also commented on Mercedes’ performance at Jeddah, calling it embarrassing. “Even at Saudi Arabia where there’s a circuit with three DRS zones, Lewis couldn’t get past Lando. Lando was so much quicker through the quick corners in terms of grip level and the downforce they were running they were able to generate on the McLaren that he was just pulling away half a second a lap just on that part of the lap.”

“And then Lewis would close up on the last corner but he couldn’t do anything about it. And I think it’s an embarrassing day for the factory Mercedes team,“ he added. Despite finishing almost 40 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen in Saudi Arabia, Russell remained optimistic, stressing the need to unlock the car’s full potential. However, he admitted the complexity of the modern Formula 1 car, coupled with the challenges posed by the tires, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of performance fluctuations.

While it was not a good day at the office for Lewis and George, Lando and Oscar Piastri left the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix satisfied with their results.

McLaren leave Jeddah pleased after beating Mercedes at both ends

Lando Norris stayed out longer during the first stint, while others capitalized on an early safety car period caused by Lance Stroll‘s unfortunate encounter with the barriers, forcing his retirement. Explaining the team’s strategy, Norris mentioned, “We took a bit of a gamble to try and go long on the mediums and hope there was a Safety Car or something but it never came.” However, Norris expressed contentment with the team’s efforts, saying, “I’m happy with that.”

Despite missing out on potential points, he acknowledged the strong performance of the car and the strategic choices made by the team. Meanwhile, Piastri, despite encountering challenges like being stuck behind Lewis Hamilton for a significant portion of the race, was pleased with his fourth-place finish. He mentioned, “I think that was the most we could have done.”

READ MORE: F1 News: “This Is Still Lewis Hamilton’s Team”: Ambitious George Russell Gets Shown His Place by 2X F1 Champ

Between Mercedes and McLaren, who do you think will come out on top in Australia?