In Brazil Mercedes was finally able to say “we're back!” The victory of George Russell arrived on merit after yet another positive weekend from Austin onwards, it highlights the great work done in Brackley. At first the W13 seemed like a fish out of water, a different project from the others, too extreme which forced the team to experiment with different solutions especially in the first phase of the world championship characterized above all by the problem of pouring.
From gloomy and aching faces in Baku to smiling and joyful ones in Brazil months have passed, in which the team has carried out a development necessary to return to fight with Red Bull and Ferrari. The maranello team's problems, between reliability and strategies, gave a fantastic assist to Mercedes, one of the most concrete and reliable cars, as demonstrated by the podium finishes. The fight for second place in the constructors' standings currently hangs in favor of the Maranello team, which will need to be flawless this weekend.
Russell: 'Red Bull ahead'
Le FP1 in Abu Dhabi they closed with the best time by Lewis Hamilton followed by Russell 2 tenths behind. Max Verstappen, back in the FP2 however, after giving up his place to Liam Lawson in FP1, he reclaimed the throne by setting the fastest lap in the most significant session, also proving to have excellent race pace. It will therefore be difficult for Mercedes to achieve a second victory, perhaps with Lewis, the only dry driver among the 6 top team drivers. The Brackley team will certainly be able to play for the position with Ferrari, apparently in more difficulty than the others, in the long run.
"We had a very good day in terms of learning, as this is one of the last opportunities to gain knowledge for next season. We got on well with the new elements, we performed satisfactorily in PL1, especially on my side of the garage. I can't wait for 2023 to come with what we learned today ” Russell said at the end of the day.
“For FP2, the track changed completely as the temperature dropped. The car seemed fast, but I think Red Bull is ahead than us in terms of single lap pace and maybe even long runs. So, we have some work to do overnight but compared to Ferrari our performance, from what we can tell so far, looks good for this weekend. I like to think we will be able to fight for the top three in tomorrow's qualifying and see where we can be on Sunday. We'll keep our heads down and work through the night".
Source statements: FormulaPassion
