Distanced by his teammate Kimi Antonelli during the free practice sessions of the Belgian Grand Prix, George Russell believes that Mercedes went in the wrong direction on Friday.
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George Russell did not have the day he hoped for at the opening of the Belgian Grand Prix. While Mercedes showed excellent pace with Kimi Antonelli, who set the best time in FP2, the Brit had to deal with a less competitive car.
The reigning vice-world champion finished the second free practice session only eighth, nearly 1.3 seconds behind his young teammate. A significant gap that contrasts with Russell’s ambitions, currently engaged in a championship battle against Antonelli.
Before arriving at Spa, the Mercedes driver hoped to continue reducing his 25-point deficit to his teammate in the overall standings. But from the first hours of the weekend, several difficulties forced him to revise his plans.
A poor estimation of the grip level
According to Russell, the main problem came from a poor assessment of the grip level available on the Belgian circuit during the first free practice session.
“We did not have the smoothest Friday here at Spa,” admitted the Brit. “We overestimated the grip level in FP1, which means our starting setup was not suitable.”
This approach error complicated the setup of his W17 and forced him to catch up during the rest of the day.
“We had difficulties with a rather delicate car balance and, although we were able to learn from it, it was not the ideal way to start our weekend.”
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While Russell was still searching for the right setup, Antonelli seemed to have already found an effective base. The young Italian confirmed his excellent start to the season by dominating FP2 ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Progress made before FP2
Mercedes nevertheless managed to partially reverse the trend during the second session. After analyzing the data collected in FP1, the German team made several adjustments that allowed Russell to improve the behavior of his car.
“So we worked a lot before FP2 and made some changes that improved the situation,” explained the Brit.
Despite a still visible lack of performance on a flying lap, Russell wants to focus on the progress made in long runs.
“There is still time to find, especially on a flying lap, and we will work on that overnight. Our pace in long runs was more competitive and that gives us confidence for Saturday and Sunday.”
Russell does not want to let points slip away to Antonelli
With two wins this season, in Australia and Austria, George Russell remains a serious contender for the world title. But facing a particularly strong Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver knows he cannot afford too many difficult weekends.
As qualifying approaches, the goal will therefore be to quickly regain the level shown by his teammate in order to stay in the championship fight. At Spa, the slightest setup error could be costly, especially against competition that seems more compact than ever.
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