Mercedes Analysis | Tempers flare, teammate differences and motivation
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are not where they wanted to be at the start of this new era. For Hamilton, it was meant to be the car that would deliver, in their eyes, some redemption for what happened in Abu Dhabi. For Russell, it was meant to be the car that would finally put him in a realistic place to take Grand Prix victories after years parked at the back with Williams.
Toto Wolff and co will be the first to admit they don’t have a good enough car. All key stakeholders at Mercedes have been keen to suggest the people at the factories are working hard to find upgrades. The hard work shouldn’t be doubted or questioned but perhaps the length of time it’s taking should.
All teams, at at least one Grand Prix, have delivered some sort of upgrade. We’re yet to see anything significant from Mercedes which could suggest that finding a solution is proving to be more of a challenge than first expected. Will we see an upgrade for the Miami Grand Prix? Given the context of it being a new track and outside of Europe, it’s more likely Mercedes will bring something to Barcelona.
The lack of upgrades and changes could be something that is frustrating Hamilton. In their post-session interviews, Hamilton seems more downbeat and frustrated compared to Russell. We even saw a little bit of a heated debate between Hamilton and Wolff at the back of the Mercedes garage. It seems as if the Brit is arriving at each track with optimism that the problem has improved, yet going out in first free practice to discover it’s more of the same.
Analysis | Where’s the delta?
It has to be said that Russell is more experienced of driving a poor car in Formula 1. With Williams, he was parked at the back of the grid for a couple of years before slowly making some advances in his third and final season. Having a car that wasn’t hooked up with the circuit was actually the norm for Russell on his well-documented route to the Mercedes seat.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has been parked at the front of the grid during his tenure at Mercedes winning race after race with a car that was hooked up from the first green light on a Friday. Hardly any driver is more experienced than Hamilton in Formula 1 during this era, but not at fighting a car that is difficult to drive whilst morale is low. Russell has that feather in his cap and it could be what’s causing the difference.
During Friday qualifying in Imola, a Q3 session took place without a Mercedes car for the first time since October 2012. Gangnam Style sat towards the top of the United Kingdom music charts, and Skyfall was yet to be released in the cinema when that last happened. Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were at the helm and Russell had barely turned a teenager.
Russell finished in 11th, with Hamilton in P13. And Hamilton actually lost a place in the Sprint Qualifying a day later. The teammate head-to-head duel in qualifying is 2-2, but Russell leads 3-1 when it comes to the Grands Prix. Russell is the only driver to finish inside the top five at every race this season and is just about hanging onto the Red Bull drivers in the World Championship.
Looking at both of their fastest laps in qualifying, Hamilton was faster in more areas of the track than Russell. But crucially, Russell had the advantage in the slow speed sections. Because more time is spent in the slower sections of the circuit, drivers gain more time there.
From the outside, it’s difficult to say with certainty but it seems like a set-up difference. However, it’s clear Russell has more traction, downforce and confidence in the slow-speed corners. For example, at the second braking zone on these two laps, Hamilton backs out of the throttle fully whereas Russell is around the 25% mark.
A similar story takes place at the final braking zone. Hamilton pulls out of the throttle fully, but Russell stays in the 40% range which allows him to carry much more speed and accelerator quicker. The graphic below shows where Hamilton (grey) and Russell (turquoise) is quicker.
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Improving their relationship
The motivation inside the Mercedes camp has to be at an all-time high. There’s a popular paddock theory doing the rounds: ‘Mercedes have a beast of a car, and once they fix porpoising they will be able to unlock its potential’. Hamilton and Russell are having to work together to find that potential. If they both want to be fighting for race wins later in the season, they both have to collaborate as best as they possibly can. A poor car has forced them to come together.
The Hamilton/Russell dynamic became one of the biggest talking points during the winter break. A lot of speculation on how the outcome of the cross-generational relationship would work out. Would Russell really force it upon Hamilton alike Nico Rosberg, or would he become another Valtteri Bottas wingman?
All that has been put on pause and thrown out of the window. Russell and Hamilton have to be working together, and almost be the best of friends to try and fix the Mercedes troubles. And we’re already seeing the fruits of Hamilton’s efforts on social media. In Australia, Hamilton said he took Russell surfboarding. After the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton was keen to congratulate Russell on his first podium for the team. Both a post on Instagram and a story acknowledged this fact. This is something we didn’t often see during his time as a teammate to Bottas or Rosberg.