Mercedes diver George Russell drove a solid race in Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian GP. The Brit secured a P5 result from P6 on the starting grid and was able to maximize points despite the consistent lack of performance issues with the W13.

While Mercedes misses out on securing a second podium for the season, Russell remains optimistic that the team will be able to mend the underlying issues causing the significant gap between rival teams Red Bull and Ferrari. 

Despite only moving up one position, Russell believes that the car felt good overall and he attributes the lack of downforce as one of the main problems the team faced during the race.    

“It was a strong race in terms of maximising our potential points today, the car felt good but we’re just lacking downforce because we can’t get the car to run close to the ground. We got the car in a nice window and I was pushing as hard as I could, it was probably the most physical race I’ve experienced in F1, 50 laps at the limit on a fast street circuit – I just want to be doing it fighting for victory,” Russell said.

“I think we maximize the balance, we just know what we lack with massive downforce ultimately push him flat out. I was really pleased with how the performance was, from my personal side. It was really well managed to keep up with the Red Bulls, especially after the restart, I gave everything to try and stay within DRS zone. We were a second behind them, generally.”

With two races completed, Russell, also revealed that the team has a better understanding of the race pace than the qualifying pace with the W13. 

“I need to go back review the data, that everybody knows what we need to improve. I think we have a better handle on what the race pace than we do quali pace. But the inherent issues are still there low fuel height,” he said. 

“So I mean, when I look at the result, we finished 30 seconds behind."

The root of Mercedes’s performance problems remains unknown, however, Russell feels confident that once the issue is resolved they will be able to return to their competitive side.  

“We definitely want information. At The moment we want it to make sense. And we need to make some leaps and bounds. And we're struggling to find that silver bullet to resolve our issues. But I've got no doubt when we do, that we will find a chunk of that time. But as I said before, is easier said than done” Russell stated.

The hunt for the championship continues for Russell, as he remains optimistic since it is early in the season. However, the 24-year old also affirms that it's vital for the team to make significant improvements to the W13 in order for him to pursue the fight properly.     

“Okay, it's too racy, we're definitely not out of it. But for sure, if we don't manage to find some improvements, there's no way we will be in with a short of fighting for this championship. But you know, we're definitely not giving up you know, we've, we've come away from this, the first two races, the third best team I don’t know what the championship looks like but even if we continue like this for the next 5,6,7,8 races, we're still going to be within touching distance, I would say,” Russell said.

“There's no reason why we can't overturn it. So we need to see how things look, by the time we get to halfway through the season. And ultimately, there's no reason why until halfway through. That everything can change.” 

Ending on a positive note, Russell praised Mercedes for their diligent work and believes that the team has ample time to find the solutions needed to close the gap between Red Bull and Ferrari.

“Everybody is working as hard as they can to close the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari, every single person at Brackley and Brixworth wants more and we’ll continue to push until we close that gap. This first part of the season isn’t packed with races, the calendar isn’t too dense, so it gives us some time to find solutions. 

"We aren’t here to fight for P5 but you’ve got to take the positives. The race was enjoyable to drive, this track is probably in the top five of the year, incredibly fast and with fantastic grip."