One step away from the best time
Positive feelings at home Mercedes a few hours before the conclusion of the 2024 pre-season tests, especially after the absolute best time on Day 3 which was almost achieved by George Russell. The Englishman, with soft C4 tyres, missed out on the day's leadership by 49 thousandths over Charles Leclerc, in turn preceding Zhou's surprising F1 Stake.
A performance, achieved over a total of 67 laps completed, which cannot necessarily be indicative of the potential of the new one W15, although the British driver still recognized significant improvements compared to the previous season. However, Russell admitted that he once again saw Red Bull at a higher level.
Red Bull still ahead
“It's been an intense three days here in Bahrain – he has declared – we managed to complete the entire planned program, despite the interruptions. The car performed well and corresponds to the sensations we had on the simulator before coming here. We have a great base to start from. We are aware that there is still a lot of lap time to be found. We knew this would be the case before the test, and the Red Bull looks very strong once again“.
The progress
“However, I am confident that we are in one much better position than 12 months ago. The teams at Brackley and Brixworth have done a great job to get us into this position with a car that is a step in the right direction. Now we need to focus, firstly, on getting the most out of the package we have and, secondly, on add more downforce and try to bridge the gap.”
#Russell #W15 #performed #Red #Bull #strong
