George Russell feels it is an "understatement" to label Mercedes' new F1 car a 'diva', describing how it is "so unpredictable" from weekend to weekend. Mercedes have struggled to tame their all-new W13 across the first five rounds of the season, with extreme porpoising making life difficult for Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton. The Miami Grand Prix weekend initially appeared to mark a step forward, with Russell topping Friday practice and Hamilton posting the fourth-fastest time, but their pace disappeared overnight. While Hamilton salvaged sixth on the grid, Russell was knocked out in Q2, with the pair again having to settle for the 'best of the rest' positions on race day – behind Red Bull and Ferrari.
Mercedes struggling to understand the ups and downs
Following the team's rollercoaster weekend at the Miami International Autodrome, Russell admits Mercedes have been left with more questions than answers. "We've known all along there is a fast racing car there," Russell told media, including RacingNews365.com . "[But] Friday was a complete outlier and we don't really understand why. "Lewis did a better job than I did to qualify P6, but even fuel- and power-corrected, his fastest laps were on Friday, whereas every other driver improved [by] well over one second. "I think my race pace was two-tenths slower than [Charles] Leclerc on Friday, and [on Sunday] it's back to half a second to a second, so I don't know."
Russell: Diva is a bit of an understatement
Russell then made reference to Wolff previously describing Mercedes' troubled cars as 'divas'. "[The performance is] there, we just need to try and unlock it," he continued. "Toto's throwing the word diva around a lot, but I think that's a bit of an understatement, because it's so unpredictable. "When the thing just starts bouncing in the corners, it's a killer to drive. "[In the race] it wasn't as bad; when you're not in your full quali mode, you're not going quite as quick, but it certainly wasn't great."
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