
Mercedes 'learning' about new direction - Russell
Mercedes 'learning' about new direction - Russell

George Russell has conceded Mercedes is "learning" whether its new direction is the correct one after a testing day of practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Briton ended the day fifth fastest, almost five-tenths down on Max Verstappen's session-best effort as the W14 continued to leave Mercedes struggling.
Russell called for changes to be made to his set-up after his qualifying simulation run, whilst Lewis Hamilton could finish only 11th fastest in the sister car.
READ MORE: Verstappen in command as traffic bedlam sparks Saudi Arabian GP qualifying fears But allaying fears of a deeper issue, the two-time champion said: "It was just functioning things with the downshifts, we do that all the time."
Much has been made over the development direction for Mercedes after a lacklustre start to the season in Bahrain, with significant changes to the W14 promised by the hierarchy.
Mercedes 'must maximise the package'
Assessing Friday's running at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Russell said: "For sure, Red Bull is out front but we are going through and learning things, things that will help in the short-term, medium-term and we need to look at things overnight to see what we can do this weekend.
"I think we need to go out there and maximise the package we have got, try and get the set-up in the sweet spot.
"We are not going to find a second overnight, as much as I would love to do that and all the hard work that everybody is putting in.
"We just need to understand and recognise is whether the new direction we are taking as a team the correct one."
READ MORE: Saudi Arabia Grand Prix 2023: Date, start time, TV channel and live stream
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F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
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- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
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- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
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- Lance Stroll
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- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
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- Yuki Tsunoda
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Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Australia 2023
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Grand Prix of China 2023
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Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
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Miami Grand Prix 2023
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Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
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Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
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AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
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Grand Prix du Canada 2023
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Grand Prix of Austria 2023
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Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
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Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
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Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
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Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Italy 2023
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Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
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Grand Prix of Japan 2023
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Qatar Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of the United States 2023
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Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
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Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
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Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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