Russell: Mercedes still doesn't understand "big swing" in F1 weekend pace – Motorsport.com

Russell landed his maiden pole in Hungary and chased teammate Lewis Hamilton home for a 2-3 result, but only after the mechanics had turned the cars “upside down” following a lacklustre showing during Friday practice.
Despite having the summer break to analyse the data on the W13, that inconsistency carried over to last weekend’s Belgian GP, when Russell was only eighth fastest in qualifying.
That was one spot behind Hamilton, who was eliminated in a first-lap crash with Fernando Alonso, before Russell was helped by grid penalties on the way to an eventual fourth.
Speaking on the Thursday of the Dutch GP weekend, Russell affirmed that Mercedes still struggles to understand what it takes to fully unlock the W13.
Russell said: “It’s definitely been a bit of a theme for us this season. We’re still yet to fully understand why we have such a big swing, to be honest.
“The swing is probably less compared to Red Bull, but when you look at it compared to the midfield, we are often being outqualified by an Alpine or a McLaren.
“I mean, even Alex [Albon, Williams] was very close to outqualifying us last week. But in the race, we showed some really strong pace.”
Russell rued a lost podium at Spa behind Carlos Sainz, and with the benefit of hindsight would have done things “slightly differently”.
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG
Photo by: Motorsport Images
He continued: “I was pretty disappointed not to be able to get third position. Had I done things slightly differently, it would have been possible.
“But we just need to overcome our single lap struggles. On my last stint I went out pretty hard and probably didn’t have any juice left in the tank with the tyres when I caught up to Carlos.
“We had enough pace to maybe manage the tyres slightly more, maybe get to him a lap or two later. But I think we’ve still got to be relatively happy with how the Sunday panned out.
“But we just do understand where all that performance went on Friday and Saturday.”
Hamilton qualified 1.8s adrift of eventual Spa victor Max Verstappen while Russell was a further three tenths in arrears.
Asked where the major deficit was coming from, Russell lamented a lack of overall downforce.
He explained: “Global performance is one thing. Once we get to Sunday, and things are a bit more even, we see that we’re still on average three or four tenths behind Red Bull and we need to find some more global downforce and maybe make our car a bit more efficient so we’re not losing so much time on the straights.
“But as we said, we’re on the backfoot this season when we’re qualifying at the bottom half of Q3 or sometimes not even in Q3 and it puts us in a very tricky position.
“Tyres have been a sensitive point for many teams for so long. We just need to find a way to get the most out of it on that single lap.”
 
Sainz: No one congratulates Ferrari for correct F1 strategy calls
Gasly: Video discussing ’final details of contract’ not about F1 amid Alpine links
Sainz: No one congratulates Ferrari for correct F1 strategy calls
The scale of the challenge facing Audi’s F1 assault
Belgian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Ocon explains why he wants Schumacher at Alpine for 2023
Esteban Ocon has told Alpine that Mick Schumacher is his preferred option as a Formula 1 teammate for 2023, believing the current Haas driver could “perform very well”.
Why Russell arrived at the Dutch GP in a Ricciardo shirt
Daniel Ricciardo has explained why George Russell arrived at the Formula 1 Dutch GP on Thursday wearing a shirt from the Australian’s clothing range.
Di Grassi accuses Vettel of greenwashing after FE criticisms
Sebastian Vettel has been accused of ‘greenwashing’, in the wake of criticisms the four-time Formula 1 world championship made about Formula E.
Hamilton: I was “wrong” to call Red Bull “just a drinks company”
Lewis Hamilton says he was wrong to once call the Red Bull team “just a drinks company”, while praising its efforts to dominate the start of Formula 1’s new era.
Why Verstappen’s absolute F1 domination is no turn-off
OPINION: With Verstappen dominating the Formula 1 world championship battle, few are in doubt about where this year’s trophy is going. But that “absolute purple patch” is something fans should relish watching, not be dissuaded by
The scale of the challenge facing Audi’s F1 assault
OPINION: Audi’s arrival in Formula 1 for 2026 was confirmed on the eve of the Belgian Grand Prix. It marks the series’ first new manufacturer of the hybrid era since Honda’s difficult return with McLaren in 2015. The might of Audi will surely make it a force in F1 in time, but the scale of the task ahead of it is massive
The myth and merit in Alonso’s Hamilton F1 racing claim at Spa
OPINION: Fernando Alonso was typically forthright in his immediate view of Lewis Hamilton’s driving in their crash at the start of the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix. But away from the spotlight pressure and team radio adrenaline, it’s worth assessing the accuracy of his claims in the context of Formula 1’s changing eras
Belgian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Formula 1 roared back into action after the summer break at the Belgian Grand Prix, where the grid was shaken up by engine penalties which created different opportunities for drivers to shine. While the sole top score can probably be predicted, there were plenty of other high marks at Spa
How Verstappen scored the best win of his F1 career at Spa
Nothing could deny Max Verstappen’s Spa surge as he charged to a ninth Formula 1 win of the season, while yet more bad luck and questionable calls mired Charles Leclerc. Here’s how the Red Bull driver dominated the Belgian Grand Prix.
The traditionalist F1 venue stuck in a philosophical row 
With the future of Spa as a grand prix venue in doubt, Ben Edwards admits not everyone will be disappointed if it is dropped from the calendar
Which teams adapted best to F1’s new 2022 rules?
As F1 moves into the second half of the 2022 season, PAT SYMONDS analyses which teams have so far performed well under the championship’s new technical regulations
Why Verstappen has the upper hand for Spa’s recovery race
Formula 1 title rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc both face a battle to recover from the rear of the grid after engine penalties. But it appears the championship leader is in the box seat on pace to salvage the most from a potentially tricky Belgian Grand Prix

source