George Russell: a somewhat strange day

Mercedes admitted that changes to the settings between the two practices led to some speed loss. Nevertheless, the team hopes that they will be able to compete quite competitively in qualifying.

George Russell (5th): “Somewhat strange day: in the first practice everything went pretty well for us, but it seems that Ferrari and Red Bull joined then. In the second session we turned back a bit, so tonight we’ll have to work to understand what happened.

In general, we were hindered by the fact that on the Monza circuit the hybrid system did not work very efficiently, and in this respect we were approximately at the level of Red Bull, while with Ferrari cars the electrical part of the power plant seemed to be show the best side. This suggests Sunday’s race could take place under an unusual scenario.

If you manage to use the slipstream effectively during qualifying in Monza it will definitely give you an advantage, but the risks are quite high so we don’t intend to bet on this option.

During qualifying it is usually possible to get as much information as possible about the functioning of the car and the tires, but this year we have the most problems on Saturday. Anyway, tomorrow my partner and I will try to perform as best we can – however, as with any other qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton (7th): “Between the first and second practice, we made some changes to the settings, and then I slowed down, or other riders added noticeably, but it felt like we weren’t as fast anymore.

I know George had problems with the ERS system, although my car didn’t seem to be bothered by it. At this stage it was a partner’s turn to choose, he will be the first to leave the pits on the track in tomorrow’s qualifying or second, and I think I will have to go first so of course I will will give him some acceleration.

Andrew Shovlin, chief race engineer: “The first session went well and it seemed to us that everything was in order with the balance – both in one fast lap and in long series. But in the second session the difficulties increased, both riders complained that the rear wheels had no grip.

Talking about speed, it seems that in the second session the opponents were able to add more than we did, so we have to analyze everything in detail to understand exactly where we lose.

We are ready to have more difficulties this weekend as the car is almost in the same configuration as in the Spa. In addition, Lewis will be penalized for replacing the power plant, so over the course of the race we will have to put in a lot of effort before he makes the top ten.

But the goal is the same: try to train so that both riders can earn points. The car made a good impression in the first practice and it is hoped that we can return to the most efficient settings.”