ITF’s Conduct Towards Royalty Rafael Nadal Forces the Irritation Out of Mercedes F1 Star George Russell

When it comes to displaying his brilliance on the court, Rafael Nadal leaves no stone unturned. The Spaniard oozes confidence with his long strides while walking out on the court. He arguably wins half the mental battle with his opponent, even before the match starts by pacing around them and practicing his shots in the waiting area. What allows him to do that is the belief in his ability that comes from the months of practice he puts in before participating in a tournament. Now imagine how much of it would he have achieved had he not had proper training before a major game or a grand slam. That is exactly the point George Russell has raised ahead of the 3 days of testing in Bahrain.

Mercedes recently unveiled their 2023 challenger, the W14. The all-black livery is back, however, it does not carry the same message around it did back in 2020. That was the time when the Silver Arrows sported the livery to express their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. This time, it is more about exposing more carbon fiber and using less paint to shed as much weight as possible. While the car left fans mesmerized, last year’s Brazilian GP winner is far from happy. Not with his car or team, though, but with the lack of practice ahead of the lights out next month in Bahrain.

Motorsport-total quoted Russell as saying, “Personally, I don’t think three days are enough. You have to remember that from a driver’s perspective, that’s a day and a half per driver.” [Translated using Google]

“Could you imagine Rafa Nadal not hitting a ball for twelve weeks and then going straight to the French Open with a day and a half of training? That would never happen.”

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For now, the news coming out from Brackley isn’t any good either.

Mercedes hits a roadblock even before the season starts

After the car’s unveiling, it was time for the shakedown and that exposed a shortcoming. The incident revealed some ignition problem which the team said was minor. Nonetheless, it had fans worried before the new season begins next month.

Popular Twitter handle, Virutas de Goma reported, “The premiere of the Mercedes W14 has not been the dream. After the presentation, they have put it to roll in the Silverstone and it has given engine problems. They have sent the unit in for repair. It had ignition problems, misfiring and misfiring. They knew what was going to happen to them. They fear a repeat.” [Translated using Google]

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Mercedes are looking to put last year’s woes behind them and start afresh in the battle for championships in 2023. For that to happen, they need to iron out these early issues as soon as possible.