Mercedes have had another difficult start to the Formula One calendar, as Lewis Hamilton has secured back-to-back fifth place finishes, while George Russell ended Bahrain and Jeddah in seventh and fourth.
Despite beating both Ferraris in Saudi Arabia, Mercedes were far from in contention for the podium places, trailing the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Russell has said he is expecting a continuation of this at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
“I think it’ll be a similar story in Melbourne,” Russell said ahead of the weekend.
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“The tarmac is very similar in Melbourne compared to the circuit here: some fast and flowing corners. So, I’d say the order that we’ve seen this weekend, it’ll be very similar.
“Like we saw in qualifying, there’s only maybe two-tenths splitting three, four or five cars. So, they’ll probably be similar in Melbourne too,” he continued.
The British driver joined Mercedes at the start of the 2022 season, having been in a race seat at Williams for three years.
Russell would’ve hoped for better from the team that, prior to him joining, had secured eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships.
Two races into the 2023 season, Russell has warned his team have to “be realistic” about their ability to compete against Red Bull this year, warning about the “gap they have to the rest of the field.”
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“You know, it’s a serious, serious gap, and I guess everybody needs to keep working harder to understand how to close that gap,” he added.
Hamilton has been more optimistic about his team’s chances, believing that Mercedes will be able to fight at the front for victory once again.
“It’s how you show up. It’s how you continue to remain positive and tackle the issues that you’re faced with. And so that’s where my energy is going,” Hamilton said.
“We will hopefully mould it into a winning car at some stage,” the seven time world champion added.