General
Russell on Bahrain GP: "It was a difficult weekend."
- Rafael Diaz Lehmann
After a shocking qualifying where George Russell only set a time for 9th on the grid, a decent comeback-drive saw the Brit finish fourth, just behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Although the Mercedes-man finished just behind Hamilton, it'd be unfair to call his first full-time outing for his new team a great weekend.
Talking to Sky Sports, Russell stated; "We definitely thought that we would be able to charge our way through the field to get to P6. We made the most of the retirements. I am happy with that start, made some positions but we know the limitations. It was a difficult weekend but overall a good result."
It was a weekend of struggle for Mercedes. While the duo of Hamilton and Russell went on to finish third and fourth, it is not indicative of the pace defecit to the Red Bulls and Ferraris. After the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez retired, it was the Mercedes' that replaced their positions. However, Russell stays positive. "We recognise that we are a long way from where we want to be. I don't think we are going to find the silver bullet soon but I have faith that we are going to find it. I think there will be a couple of races before we unlock a bit of more performance from the car.
"I think it has been a positive weekend considering all the issues we have. I think we are half a second behind in qualifying. Half a second to a second in the race. We want more."