Now, as Motorsport.com reports, George Russell is sounding the alarm for this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix. The Mercedes Formula 1 driver believes Ferrari is holding a distinct card up its sleeve thanks to its hardware.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez sits more than 2200 metres above sea level, a brutal environment for Formula 1 machinery. That thin air chokes downforce and cooling while forcing turbochargers to work significantly harder to feed the power unit.
It’s been a little bit strange for us since we brought this package to the car,
Speaking to the media during the drivers' press conference in Mexico, Russell pointed directly to mechanical design as the differentiator. "It’s going to be very interesting," he said. "I think turbo lag is going to be a big factor for a lot of teams this weekend. There’s obviously no secret, the likes of Ferrari have a smaller turbo than most, so they probably have quite an advantage in this regard. We’re not sure as yet how challenging it will be, but can definitely foresee it being not straightforward."
That headache comes on top of an ongoing struggle for Mercedes to understand its latest upgrade package. The 28-year-old found himself wrestling with the new parts during the United States Grand Prix, where he managed only eighth place. Meanwhile, team-mate and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli stormed to his ninth grand prix victory of the season.
"It’s been a little bit strange for us since we brought this package to the car," Russell added. "Obviously, we first brought it in Malaysia, and it was a pretty tough weekend for the two of us. And then Kimi had it on in Singapore. Again, not a straightforward weekend. I had it back on in Austin and struggled a lot on my side. And he obviously had a very strong race. And we are seeing some things in the characteristics that just show that it performed in a very narrow window. So we need to try and widen that."
As the weekend gets underway, Russell currently sits second in the drivers' championship. He trails Antonelli by 123 points, with his team-mate holding the opportunity to claim the title right here in Mexico.
