George Russell’s thoughts clear as Lewis Hamilton wants investigation | F1 | Sport
George Russell has already defended Mercedes’ front wing as the car’s design returns under the spotlight. Mercedes were one of several teams to make updates ahead of last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, where Kimi Antonelli claimed his third win of the season.
Footage of Antonelli’s car during the Chinese GP in March sparked debate after it appeared that his front wing did not close within the permitted time when braking. F1 regulations state that the front and rear wings should open at designated points before closing within 0.4 seconds when the brakes are applied.
“It wasn’t intentional, and I don’t think it’s not an advantage, for sure,” Russell said in March, defending his Mercedes teammate. “It’s actually a problem, so something we’re trying to solve. It isn’t a straightforward solution, but there is definitely no advantage to that because when we brake, the front wing is still open.
“Kimi had the lock up [towards the end of the race]. I think this was a contribution to the front wing, so it’s definitely not intentional.”
Mercedes have made a dominant start to the season, with Russell clinching the opening race and Antonelli since enjoying three consecutive wins. When asked about their rivals’ early claims, Russell said: “That’s just how sport goes on to be honest. That has always been the case.”
He added: “Just because we’re sort of back on top, I don’t think it’s quite right, everybody’s trying to slow us down, especially when you’re two races in.”
However, Hamilton’s recent comments show that he feels Mercedes, alongside McLaren and Red Bull, have gained an advantage over Ferrari. The Italian team will hope to improve at the Canadian GP this month after failing to make the podium in Florida.
“Mercedes did bring improvements, just not the same as others,” Hamilton said after the Miami GP. “They had like two and we had, I don’t know, eight or something. Their package is coming next race. The team [Ferrari] worked incredibly hard to run those components and it has taken a step, but the others have also taken a step.
“I heard McLaren brought a step, but that it was worth much more than they anticipated. That’s not how we’ve experienced ours. So definitely they’re doing something different.”
