Russell, Mercedes, Bahrain, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

Bahrain Grand Prix

Russell reveals Mercedes "smashing" effect after "lonely" Bahrain Grand Prix

Mercedes is still affected by bouncing down the straights

Ian Parkes & Topher Smith

Sunday 20 March 2022 23:45

George Russell has revealed the "smashing" effect he is being forced to endure with his Mercedes following what was a "lonely" Bahrain Grand Prix.

Russell finished a fortunate fourth following a late double retirement for the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez when he was set for sixth at best.

It is clear Mercedes lack pace, both aerodynamically and with its power unit as it lapped around a second per lap slower at times than Ferrari and Red Bull.

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With the W13 continuing to badly suffer from porpoising, Russell said: "[It was a] bit of a lonely race but pleased with the performance.

"We had a good first lap, good start and made up positions but equally we recognise we’re a long way from where we want to be."

Offering an assessment as to the cause of the issues, he added: "I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s purely engine. There are a number of contributing factors.

"We are quite draggy but this bouncing and porpoising we’re experiencing down the straight is going to slow you down because we’re smashing into the ground rather than going forwards.

"I think the lap time deficit we have is 50% in the straight and 50% in the corners.

"It offers a glimmer of hope, we all believe we can solve the issue but we truly just don’t know and we [also] don’t know how long it’s going to take, if it might be next weekend or it might not be until after."

Porpoising affecting the car under braking

After experiencing the porpoising effect for a full race distance, Russell was critical of how the W13 handled the bouncing and believes finding a solution is key to unlocking the car's full potential.

"I wouldn’t say it was physical, just uncomfortable really," added Russell. "You want a nice smooth ride and that’s definitely not what we had.

"It was affecting the tyres quite a lot because in every braking zone you’re bouncing into the corner and the rears are skipping under braking because the car is so unsettled.

"We know that if we unlock this performance it’s just going to benefit everything. It’s going to help the tyres, help us on the brakes and we’re going to find more grip from it.

"We really hope we can find a solution as soon as possible because we just know that will answer a lot of our issues, but it’s easier said than done."