The preparation for the Australian Grand Prix did not go as planned for the Mercedes F1 team after the first day in Melbourne. As in the first two races of the F1 season, both practice sessions were difficult. The German team did what it could to achieve the best possible set-up for Sunday’s race at the Albert Park Circuit.
George Russell: “We are not in a position where we want to be, there are quite a few midfield cars ahead of us and we are clearly a long way from the pace from the front. We have to work hard tonight and understand the limitations. The car actually felt good, we dive pretty bad into turn nine, but I think that’s something we’re dealing with for now. We think the way we set up the car was the fastest way to get around the track, but maybe it’s not, so we’ll work hard tonight to understand more. Driving is always cool, especially driving around a track like this – it’s just more fun when you jump out of the car and see your name at the top of the timesheets!”
Times standings and differences after round 2 Formula 1 season 2022
Lewis Hamilton: “FP2 was a difficult session, we tried some changes but the car didn’t seem to want to improve. FP1 was better but it’s just a tough car to get to work. It’s frustrating because you push and push, and even if you put in a good lap you look at the times and we’re more than a second behind. We have a lot of work to do to close the gap.”
Andrew Shovlin: “We find it difficult to generate the tire temperature here, so that’s the main thing we have to work on at night. We were clearly more competitive in the first session than in the cooler conditions of the afternoon session, and the data we’re seeing from the car supports the fact that we’re just not warm enough. If we can improve on that it’s entirely possible to find a good amount of grip, but right now we’re in a vicious circle where the drivers don’t have the confidence to carry the speed through the faster corners, and it’s that speed that will generate the temperature we desperately need. So not an easy day overall, but we are getting used to it this year. We already have some ideas of where we can go with the setup and will be doing more work at night in Brackley to better understand those changes, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can move forward overnight.”