This is the first meeting with the riders since the start of the season in Bahrain. The first group of drivers to reveal their sensations in the usual Formula 1 press conference that precedes the race weekend in Jeddah is the one made up of the entire audience of Mercedes-powered and Valtteri Bottas, for Alfa Romeo.
For the team of the three-pointed star, Russell does the honors. George first of all draws the conclusions of what it was for Mercedes, an excellent weekend in perspective of the standings, a little less from the point of view of work on the track and in the pits.
George Russell on Mercedes' problems in Bahrain: “Many thought we were bluffing, but instead we knew our limits. But luckily we brought home a good result. We continue to work. My proof? Good, but unspectacular pace. I made a mistake in Q3, but found myself in a similar position to last year. But there is room for growth on my part and on Hamilton's".
However, Mercedes was not the only one to suffer in Bahrain. In fact, McLaren failed to reach the Top 10 even with one driver. The road is long according to Norris, who underlines how the solutions to these problems are not easy to find, especially the one relating to aerodynamic load. It will take time and trust.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, even if we can't set a deadline for solving everything. We struggled at Sakhir, but the team is working and I'm confident. We have set up a recovery schedule. We weren't able to progress, while the others did after the tests. They understood the car better unlike us" said Norris to the microphones of F1.
The first answers, according to Norris, could come with the arrival of tracks more suited to the MCL36: “There are good aspects and I hope there are more favorable tracks for us than Bahrain. I already hope so from this weekend, but I don't want to go too far".
As far as the performance of the Mercedes Power Unit is concerned, looking also at the customer teams, which at first glance are less brilliant than the Ferrari team, the drivers have "postponed" the verdict, declaring that they can only judge the true values when the respective teams have resolved the single-seater problems. Problems like porpoising still plague Mercedes, Russell points out.
“We have to focus on ourselves.” instead says Alexander Albon, to the microphones of F1, for Williams, “We are behind and we are also in the corners. We'll see what happens during the season, but now we have to figure out what to do better.".
The driver who until last year rode a Mercedes car was in a completely different mood: Valtteri Bottas, who has now landed in Alfa Romeo, has in fact sung the praises of the Ferrari engine and the work of his team in Bahrain. A job that he will have to continue to bear fruit for him.
