Mercedes | GP Baku, Wolff: “Ferrari strong all weekend”

La Mercedes seems to be going through a difficult time, remaining somewhat in the shadow of other top teams. After disappointing performances at Zandvoort e Monza the stable of Brackley will start from the third row at Baku with George Russel, qualified fifth. The W15 seems to be slightly behind its rivals, as demonstrated by the qualifying result. Despite the gap from third place of Sainz be reduced, Russell himself has excluded the possibility of competing directly with the Ferrari for victory in tomorrow's race.

The situation is even more difficult for Lewis Hamilton who will start seventh. The seven-time world champion struggled with the balance of his W15, which failed to find the right harmony in the tricky qualifying conditions in Baku. Although the circuit offers good opportunities for a comeback, both Lewis and Russell agree that victory will be difficult to achieve in normal conditions. Tyre management will be key to the race, especially considering that a one-stop strategy seems the most likely.

“Qualifying today was quite frustrating – said Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal. Ferrari looked strong all weekend, so we knew it would be difficult to fight for pole. We worked hard to improve overnight, and after FP3 we thought we could challenge for the second row. After the first run in Q3, it looked possible, but on the second attempt we had a difficult launch lap, losing third place by just half a tenth of a second.”

“George was more comfortable throughout the session and finished fifth, while Lewis struggled to manage tyre temperatures and finished seventh. There will be some work to do tomorrow, but it’s a long race and we’re aiming to make up places. We don’t have a clear idea yet of how we compare to our rivals on race pace, so we’ll see what we can do.”