Russell delivers damning verdict on Miami circuit

Russell in Saudi Arabia — Photo: © LAT Images

Miami Grand Prix

Russell delivers damning verdict on Miami circuit

The Mercedes driver was scathing in his assessment of the track

Paul Macdonald

Monday 9 May 2022 10:00 Updated: 12:34

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George Russell has delivered a damning verdict of the Miami Grand Prix circuit he felt did "not offer good racing" following its debut weekend.

Russell and Mercedes showed good pace on Friday and although their momentum stalled over the weekend, both he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Russell, though, feels a rethink is required ahead of next year's return, notably with regard to the surface which has raised safety concerns.

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"It was really difficult to race around this track," said Russell. "I don't know what they've done with the tarmac, but offline it's awful.

"I almost crashed coming into the pit lane. We requested to get the pit entry blend line removed, and it was a shame not to see that implemented.

"It's strange because every other new track, they generally offer really high grip, really good racing on and offline, but here, something went a bit wrong.

"They need to do something. It's a safety issue. It just does not offer good racing. You can't go side by side with a car around the corner as there's just zero grip offline."

Russell feels weekend could be 'most important' of the season

Mercedes at least cemented its position as the third-best team this season, albeit it has fallen below its high standards of the hybrid era which has resulted in it winning eight consecutive constructors' titles.

While Mercedes' progress from Friday into Saturday was halted by a wrong set-up change in a bid to secure additional downforce, Russell feels progress was still gained that could prove to be pivotal by the end of the year.

"We've known all along there's a fast racing car there, we just need to try and unlock it," added Russell.

"We don't really understand why it's so unpredictable. Toto has thrown the word 'diva' around and I think that's a bit of an understatement.

"P5 and P6 is where we deserve to be. For sure this is where we've shown the most amount of promise, but we're a long way off still.

"We need to keep on analysing. I think this weekend might turn out to be one of the most important weekends when we look back."