George Russell, Mercedes Formula 1 driver, pointed to the “good problems” left with the team to solve in its new W14 F1 car.
Mercedes had eyes on it during Bahrain testing because it aimed to solve its 2022 problems. The team struggled to solve its porpoising and drag issue last season, which led to its fall to third place.
Initially, both drivers Russell and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton indicated a car balance issue. This issue is much easier to solve, related to what the team went through last year. The performance points to a “step in the right direction”.
Russell shed light on the mid-corner handling, where he struggles to balance the car. He pointed to loss of grip and overworking tyres at the high temperature.
Russell comment on his desire to have a more predictable car this year. He added: “The entry phase has been improved.
“I think it’s no secret when you’re watching the onboard videos that we are struggling a little bit with the balance, struggling a lot in the mid-corner.
“But I think it’s a balance that is probably easier to solve than what we had last year. So even though there’s still a limitation, let’s say it’s a good problem to have.
“Definitely in terms of feeling, it feels a step in the right direction. Compared to this time 12 months ago, things are running a lot smoother.
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“When we were here last year, there were a lot of alarm bells ringing with porpoising. We weren’t sure how to solve it, we were a bit lost.
“Things have been running much smoother, reliability has been strong so far. For sure, we’ve got things we need to improve with the car.
“But, generally speaking, we are where we would have expected to be at this time of year.”
