Pessimistic Mercedes have 'an eye on teams behind' after slow start

Both Russell and Lewis Hamilton said before the action got underway in Singapore that Mercedes have never faired well in Singapore, and from Friday's running, it looks like 2024 may be no exception. The first free practice session saw Hamilton finish in P12, with teammate Russell all the way down in P16, over one-and-a-half seconds off the pace of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari in P1.

FP2 was much of the same, and although Russell could make it into the top ten this time around, it was only good enough for seventh, still seven-tenths off the pace of P1, this time belonging to Lando Norris. For Hamilton, he could only manage a P11 to cap off a low day for the German team and not give them much hope going into the rest of the Grand Prix weekend.

Mercedes unsure on their chances of competing

Speaking in Mercedes' press release after their slow start to the weekend around the Marina Bay Circuit, Russell highlighted the issues he has with the W15 which may lead to a disappointing finish come Sunday: "We didn't have the pace of the frontrunners today and we need to work hard overnight to understand why. The car wasn't feeling as well connected as it did here last year, or in recent races. We need to get to the bottom of that if we are to have a weekend where we can challenge at the front. The McLarens and the Ferraris looked to have a comfortable advantage over everyone else meanwhile and we've clearly got work on our hands to be in with a chance of racing them this weekend."

Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin also shared a negative view of Mercedes changes this weekend, saying they may have to look behind instead of in front if their pace does not improve quickly: "That was one of the trickier Friday's of the year so far. Neither driver was particularly happy with the balance throughout the session, although we made some progress on our long run. Whilst that second hour of running was more encouraging, we've still got a good chunk of work to do overnight. McLaren and Ferrari, in particular Norris and Leclerc, looked to be a step ahead of the rest of the field. We will have to find some big improvements to be in the fight with them tomorrow. We've also got one eye on some of the teams behind us. We will need to find gains overnight if we are to have a smoother run through qualifying."