After struggling with problems for five races, the tide seems to have turned for
Mercedes. In the second free practice session at the
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya,
George Russell and
Lewis Hamilton were sitting well and experiencing much less porpoising. Russell, however, remains cautious in his enthusiasm and team boss
Toto Wolff joins in when he spoke to
Sky.It's not the first time this season that Mercedes seemed competitive in the second free practice session. In Miami, Russell topped the timesheet on Friday, only to fall back on Saturday.
Wolff cautiously optimistic
For that reason, both Russell and his team boss are still cautious, but Wolff is cautiously optimistic. He points out that Mercedes had the second best longrun, after
Max Verstappen.
At the same time, he cautions that conditions could be different on Saturday given the increasing grip of the asphalt, which could potentially cause porpoising to reappear. Moreover, he admits that Mercedes may have driven with more engine power than
Red Bull Racing and
Ferrari, but all in all, the Austrian looks back on a "solid" Friday.