George Russell claims Mercedes can be in the ‘fight in Barcelona’ after finding a ‘big chunk of performance’ on W15

Mercedes managed a solid P3 and P4 finish at the Canadian GP.

George Russell claims Mercedes can be in the ‘fight in Barcelona’ after finding a ‘big chunk of performance’ on W15

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)

The Mercedes F1 team had an incredibly strong outing at last week’s Canadian GP. The outfit was very much in the fight for the win and while they ultimately managed a P3 and P4 finish, George Russell is extremely upbeat going ahead in the 2024 season.

George Russell has made it known that following Red Bull’s recent issues combined with the upgrades Mercedes has brought, will put his team in a good stead at the Spanish GP. The W15 has seen a decent improvement in terms of performance since Imola.

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Moreover, Russell was even able to manage a P1 starting position for the Canadian GP.

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It’s no secret they’ve [Red Bull] struggled a bit with their car these last three races. But this pace increase that we’ve seen from us this weekend, it hasn’t been a surprise to us. Because all the numbers back at the factory told us we’re going to be finding a big chunk of performance with these upgrades. Barcelona is going to be interesting for everybody, but I’m confident we can be in the fight.
George Russell said in an interview with lwos

The prolific Brit has quite clearly made it known that none of the top outfits can count out Mercedes going ahead into the 2024 season. Moreover, he feels Red Bull’s struggles have somewhat played into the Brackley-based team’s favor and thus, is incredibly confident about having a say in the fight in Barcelona.

Mercedes is clear about the ‘development’ of the W15

The German outfit has not had the best of times under the ongoing ground-effect era. However, since Montreal, it definitely feels the team has cracked the puzzle with its challenger. Moreover, Toto Wolff has recently admitted that Mercedes has a clear development plan.

Mercedes W15
Mercedes W15 (via IMAGO)
The small step forward made in Imola was encouraging. We are still one step behind the top three teams, and there is still a lot of work to do. However, we have a clear direction and developments in the pipeline. We are now having clear indications on the path to follow for development.
Toto Wolff said in an interview with Formu1a.uno

Mercedes is on an upward trajectory at the pinnacle of motor racing. Their P3 and P4 finish at the Canadian GP are proof of the positive step the team has made with the W15 in recent races. As things stand, the battle for the constructors title is a three-way tussle, but it could soon turn into a four-way brawl if Russell and Lewis Hamilton keep racking up solid results.