Mercedes ‘satisfied’ with the Miami Grand Prix after a tough qualifying session

After a qualifying session to forget on Saturday, Mercedes bounced back on Sunday with a solid performance that saw both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell work their way into the points. Despite starting 13th, Hamilton was able to make up significant ground on the track and come in sixth. For his part Russell worked his way from sixth at the start into fourth, giving the team a P4 and a P6 for their efforts.

Mercedes opted to start Hamilton on the hard compound, hoping to gain some positions on the track over the course of the race. However, as Team Principal Toto Wolff noted in the team’s post-race media debrief, others around Hamilton executed the same strategy. Still, Hamilton fought hard, and in the end got himself into the points.

“Saturday was difficult, but I always try to turn negatives into positives. Going from P13 to P6 is decent and I had a lot of fun making my way through; it was great to have several battles, so I enjoyed it,” noted the seven-time World Champion. “It wasn’t spectacular at the start as we were stuck in a DRS train and struggling to overtake. I had to bide my time and then eventually, I was able to start attacking. The car was much better on the medium tyre and came alive midway through the race.”

Russell was able to fend off a challenge from Carlos Sainz of Ferrari to finish in fourth, and the driver called Sunday a “satisfying” race for the team.

That was a really satisfying race for us today. “After the challenges in qualifying, it felt like a more normal day for us. To finish P4 on merit and finish ahead of the Ferraris was the maximum we could have achieved. The battle with Carlos (Sainz) was really enjoyable. I made a good move that needed a lot of commitment as the track is so dirty off-line,” stated Russell after the race.

Perhaps most notable was the teamwork shown by the duo. Around Lap 31 Hamilton was ahead of Russell, and Hamilton let Russell by as his car had the quicker pace at that moment. Russell radioed into the box his thanks, and pushed ahead to track down Sainz in front of him.

All the parties noted the teamwork in their post-race comments.

“Thanks to Lewis for letting me by too and enabling me to get on with my race as we were in different battles today. We’ve got a really good relationship and we only want what is best for the Team. That’s what we are working toward,” said Russell after the Miami Grand Prix.

“It was also fantastic to see the way [Lewis] and George worked together. They are both incredible drivers, but it is so straightforward with them,” said Wolff. “That is so good for us in this difficult moment.”

“We can be satisfied with the result today considering our start positions. Our qualifying performance yesterday meant that the podium places were out of reach for George, and Lewis had a real mountain to climb from 13th,” added Andrew Shovlin, the team’s Trackside Engineering Director. “Nevertheless, through great overtaking and fine teamwork, with Lewis allowing George through to attack cars ahead, we maximized our performance and points. We’ve therefore had a decent day in the championship; we’re in a close fight with Aston Martin and Ferrari and we’ve gained some ground.”

Mercedes will now turn their sights on Imola, and the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in a few weeks. A year ago Russell found himself fourth, while Hamilton was back in P13. But the “glass half empty” people at Mercedes are hoping for an even better understanding of the W14 in the coming weeks.

“We move on to Imola next and I hope that we will take a step in our understanding of the car,” concluded Wolff. “We are glass half empty people here at Mercedes; I don’t believe we will go there and be in the middle of the fight for victory. We are focused on understanding the upgrades we bring and establishing a good baseline.”