Allison: So far the results are four to five seconds worse

According to the results of Friday’s training in Qatar, George Russell was on the 8th line of the protocol, Lewis Hamilton on the 13th line. Speaking on Sky Sports, Mercedes team technical director James Allison emphasized that it is difficult to draw conclusions.

James Ellison: “After training it is difficult to accurately determine the balance of forces, and since the weekend program includes sprints, it is even more difficult to do this, because the usual work rhythm is disrupted and we have not yet decided which approach will be the right one are. And this applies to all teams.

So far the lap times are four or five seconds worse than they should be, so it’s very difficult to know who can do what. So far the track does not provide normal grip, and most likely the point is not that the asphalt here has been completely replaced, but that it is covered with dust, especially today a strong wind is constantly blowing, carrying sand onto the track.

But I think that as the weekend progresses the condition of the road surface will improve, although we still have to wait and see what exactly will happen to the asphalt.”

Ellison was also asked to tell us how preparations for next year’s championship are going.

“Of course all teams are already doing this with all their might, but at the same time I think we have found a very good direction of work,” he said. – I believe that we have already fully understood the problems that now hinder us, and that we are making all the necessary efforts to resolve them.

Will our new car look like Red Bull? I have no idea because I don’t know what this team is working on. We will understand this when we come to test next winter. The details of the next six months are related to this: in 2026 Formula 1 will switch to a new generation of cars, and this will be worked on in the 2025 season under budget constraints.

To give us the chance to work on this project, we will apparently have to make a compromise, and the 2025 car will not be completely new. Therefore, what we can develop now will be used for the next season in 2025, because we will have to use many ready-made and tested solutions. That is why it is very important to lay the right foundation for this now.”