After spending the entire weekend outside the top ten, George Russell managed to give Mercedes a little joy by finishing the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix race in a hard-fought fourth position, just behind the three drivers on the podium.
Despite the good news that this result has been, the young British driver was dissatisfied for various reasons and, how could it be otherwise, criticized the performance and behavior of the Mercedes W13, with which his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, He didn’t even get to the points.
However, the most worrying reason for Russell at Imola was not the car, but the porpoising , which he explained was “the most extreme” he has felt so far, admitting serious problems and back pain.
“The rebound has really taken my breath away. It was the most extreme I’ve felt so far, I really hope that we find a solution and that all the teams that fight against this get it because it’s not sustainable for it to continue like this.”
“This is the first weekend that I’ve really been struggling with back problems, they were almost like chest pains from the force and severity of rebounding. But it’s what we have to do to go fast, we can’t do another thing”.
Referring to his teammate, who for another weekend felt uncomfortable and out of his rhythm, Russell said that he understood his situation, as the W13 was very difficult to drive, and assured that he will come back stronger than ever.
“I made a very strong start, I don’t know what happened to him [Lewis] at the start. We’re both struggling with a car that’s a long way from being in the right window, it didn’t really feel like a race car ready to go. drive to the limit.
“I hope he returns to a great level soon, the way he is pushing the whole team is inspiring. I don’t feel comfortable in this [leader] position, because I know what he is capable of.”
After four grands prix, Russell is fourth overall with 49 points , while Hamilton is seventh with 28 , immersed in a negative spiral that seems to be slowing down his momentum at the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
