Following Lewis Hamilton’s ’emotional farewell’ announcement from Mercedes in 2025, the Silver Arrows had little time to concentrate on the upcoming season. But the German camp now looks to be on the right track after launching its 2024 F1 challenger, the Mercedes W15.
On February 21, Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton took out the W15 for their first pre-season testing of the 2024 F1 season. George Russell shared his personal evaluation of his new car’s performance after the first day of testing runs.
George Russell assesses W15 performance following F1 testing Day 1
After completing Day 1 of the pre-season testing, the Silver Arrow’s George Russell revealed an encouraging first impression on the ‘completely revamped’ Mercedes W15 (as stated by Toto Wolff).
Speaking during the post-session on the pre-season testing D1, George Russell shared his positive initial thoughts on his latest F1 machine. He started by saying, “It was great to drive the W15 for the first time in anger today. From hitting the ground, it felt like we had a good foundation to start from”.
“We completed lots of laps and have plenty of data to go through tonight. We ended the day in a reasonably good spot, and we can build from here over the next two days,” the Briton added.
“We will be focused on maximizing mileage for learning rather than chasing an optimum sweet spot with the car. Overall, the W15 does feel nicer to drive than last year’s car.”
⚠️ | We likely won't see Mercedes' true performance until next week.
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) February 21, 2024
George Russell:
"Today was about learning and not about chasing performance."
"We're focused on ourselves at this test, and it will only be next week where we see where we stack up against the others."#F1 pic.twitter.com/XuYH2fyMdo
“We know that it’s not about the feeling, but the speed. Nevertheless, today was about learning and not about chasing performance.”
Expecting to see how the W15 fares against its rivals, he continued, “we’re focused on ourselves at this test, and it will only be next week where we see where we stack up against the others. It was a positive first day and I’m looking forward to being back in the car on Friday.”
Day 1 of @F1 testing ✅ pic.twitter.com/1xRuomiAHL
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 21, 2024
George Russell and the ‘departing’ Lewis Hamilton will be busy driving the W15 from 21st to 23rd February for the pre-season testing.
F1 pundit believes Mercedes to favour Russell more than Lewis Hamilton
In a podcast for Sky Sports, Formula 1 expert Martin Brundle has revealed his personal instinct about what the scenario at Mercedes might be during Lewis Hamilton’s last dance with them this season, before he starts his Italian job at Ferrari in 2025.
As per Martin Brundle, Mercedes might prioritize George Russell’s development over the outgoing 7x F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, during the 2024 F1 season.
“You got this transition point where Lewis will stop being invited to the meetings and will not understand what’s going with the development of the car and the simulator. The team will consciously or sub-consciously favor George; they’ve got to,” he explained.
👀 | Martin Brundle expects Mercedes to start favoring Russell over Hamilton at some point in the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/nJSiZTvILD
— Racing Infinity (@RacingInfinity1) February 19, 2024
From what Sportszion understands, Brundle’s statement makes sense as Mercedes’ will be preparing George Russell to be their future team leader, which is most likely to be from the 2025 season.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will kick off Mercedes’ 2024 F1 season on March 2 at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Will Mercedes really favor Georger Russell over Lewis Hamilton this season? Or will Hamilton shut all doubts by winning the F1 championship in his last season with Mercedes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
