George Russell believes Mercedes will be truly fighting for wins in the not-too-distant future after their Spanish Grand Prix gains.
A significant upgrade to the W13 eliminated the straight-line porpoising that has been a major issue for the team in the opening races of 2022, although some bouncing was still felt in high-speed corners.
That allowed Russell to qualify fourth in Barcelona before claiming third in the race, after battling with the Red Bulls.
“Yeah, it was satisfying because we truly fought for it,” he told Sky Sports post-race.
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“I think we’ve now got a baseline to build upon and I think we’ve spent so long trying to find that true foundation of this car, and I think now we’ve found it and we can just keep finding performance.
“We’ve probably halved the gap to the front-runners compared to the rest of the season [but] we know there’s more performance to find,” he added.
“We’re six races behind but there’s no reason why we can’t claw this back. We’re making progress and as a team, we’ve turned the page. It feels like this is probably the start of our season now.
“I’m just so proud to be standing here, because the guys have worked so hard, so this one is for the guys back at Brackley and Brixworth.”
Asked when he thinks Mercedes can become a genuine threat for victories, however, Russell hinted fans may still need a little patience.
“I think it will still be a good three, four races before we start to truly compete on the same level as them (Red Bull and Ferrari) but we are definitely slightly more in the mix.”
That view was also shared by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who believes the team can only now start trying to fully optimise the W13’s potential.
“It’s step by step,” said the Austrian. “The other teams have been able to continue to develop their car, while we have been a little bit in a pause moment to find out about the bouncing.
“Now we can pick up the regular development and as soon as we understand the tyres better now the bouncing is gone, I think we will be catching up.
“I believe that we have done a solid step in Barcelona. You’re trying to keep your expectations at a realistic point, and I think where we slotted in today is somehow the best we could have expected.”
Whoosh. ? HAM on the hunt. ?? We missed this. ?pic.twitter.com/BQhmDBCjsW
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 24, 2022
Wolff though did reveal one line from Lewis Hamilton that offered him the most encouragement.
“He says that the car finally drives like an F1 car,” he told Sky Sports. “And I think this is the best feedback you can get from a racing driver.”