Russell confused by deficit to Hamilton in 'tough' Miami GP

©Mercedes

George Russell concluded his Miami Grand Prix concerned and confused after experiencing in Sunday’s race a significant performance deficit compared to his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton

Russell has urged his team to thoroughly investigate his car in order to identify the root cause of the disparity.

The Briton’s lackluster performance resulted in a disappointing eighth-place finish, even behind AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda. This marked the first time this season that Hamilton outperformed him, with an 18-second advantage at the checkered flag.

The disappointing outcome compounded the woes of a Mercedes team that continued to struggle throughout the Miami weekend, falling well behind its Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari rivals.

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“I made a pretty good start and then I think Checo went down the inside of everybody, and went off,” commented Russell.

“Backed a couple of people up when I came back [on track]. Two days in a row for me, starting on the outside, punished me.

“It was a really tough day for us. We had no pace whatsoever. We need to check the car because something didn’t feel quite right.

“We lost a lot of pace compared to what we thought.”

Russell was not only concerned by his W15’s lack of pace, but he was especially surprised by his performance deficit relative to Hamilton.

“I don’t think it caught us off guard,” he added. “I just had no pace at all. It was just a lot worse than expected.

“My race pace has been pretty strong this year but compared to Lewis I was nowhere.

“We need to check and see what happened, and go from there.

“Even more points but as I said after yesterday we know where we are as a team. A long way from where we want to be.”

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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.