Russell not playing 'mind games' during F1 pre-season

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George Russell says he "can't be bothered with mind games" ahead of the start of the F1 season but suggests that McLaren's Lando Norris might be engaging in a bit of pre-season psychological warfare.

Like its top rivals, Mercedes diligently worked its way through last week's three days of testing in Barcelona where the Brackley squad ultimately topped the timesheet.

Yet Russell played down his team's performance, suggesting that "a red team and an orange team" which both looked particularly impressive at the Circuit de Catalunya were ahead of Mercedes.

Over at McLaren – the "orange team" – Norris was equally dismissive of the Woking-based outfit's strong display in Spain, insisting his team was in a "good" but not "an amazing place" in Barcelona.

But the McLaren charger also talked-up rival Mercedes' pace, even projecting its Silver Arrows to be "incredible" in the F1's first round of racing in Bahrain.

Whether Norris' comments were destined to put the pressure on the reigning world champion or not, Russell said that there will be no "mind games" on his part.

"I can’t be bothered with mind games, it’s too much effort. No, there are no mind games," said the Mercedes driver.

"We’re just working on our own programme and, to be honest, it is absolutely unrepresentative what we’ve seen during testing."

Read also: Russell concerned by 'substantially reduced' slipstream effect of 2022 cars

Indeed, with teams not giving away their fuel levels or engine modes during testing, Russell insists that lap times are of a little value when it comes to defining a pecking order.

"You know who is probably in the top half, and you know who’s in the bottom half," he said.

"But when it comes to qualifying you’ve got tenths of a second splits between [cars], which is the equivalent of five kilos worth of fuel.

"So yeah, totally unrepresentative.

"Things will probably look very different with the development by the time we get to Bahrain. Maybe Lando is playing mind games, but we’re not!"

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.