In Miami, George Russell admitted to being impressed by the progress made by McLaren and Ferrari during the Sprint qualifying.
Read more Liam Lawson furious after chaotic Sprint qualifying in Miami
The Miami Grand Prix weekend confirms a trend already underway: the gaps between the top teams are closing, but above all, the balance of power is evolving rapidly.
While McLaren and Ferrari have introduced significant technical upgrades to their cars, the competition immediately felt the impact on track. Both teams have clearly taken a step forward, to the point of fighting directly for pole position in Sprint qualifying.
McLaren took the advantage thanks to the performance of Lando Norris, while Ferrari also stood out with Charles Leclerc at the top of the standings.
Russell impressed by the leap in performance
Faced with this rapid progress, George Russell did not hide his surprise. The British driver admitted that the gap with his direct rivals had narrowed faster than expected, and especially significantly.
“It’s quite impressive to see how much McLaren and Ferrari have progressed” he explained after the session.
An evolution he even describes as particularly remarkable in a context of intensive development at the start of the season. On the Mercedes side, the major development program has not yet arrived. The team has chosen to focus its efforts on a more substantial upgrade planned for the Canadian Grand Prix.
In the meantime, Russell and his engineers have to deal with a car still in the adjustment phase against opponents who have already moved to the next level.
Read more Williams strikes again at Mercedes with a new strategic transfer
Challenging conditions for Russell in Miami
Beyond the technical context, the Mercedes driver also mentioned personal difficulties on the Florida track. The high temperatures and the characteristics of the circuit complicated his weekend from the Sprint qualifying onwards.
“I was overheating the tires in the twisty section and struggled to find the right balance” he explained.
This lack of comfort was directly reflected in the timing, Russell managing no better than sixth position on the Sprint grid.
A Sprint with no room for maneuver
Aware of his starting position, the Briton knows that the Sprint race offers few opportunities for recovery, especially on a circuit where overtaking remains difficult.
“It’s not a very good starting position. In Sprint, there aren’t many opportunities, so the goal will already be not to lose places at the start” he concluded.
In such a tight field, Mercedes will have to react quickly to avoid letting its rivals definitively take the advantage in this “evolution race”.
Read more Max Verstappen finally sees the light at Red Bull: «We have halved the gap!»