(Motorsport-Total.com) – According to George Russell, McLaren is a serious threat to Mercedes at the Austrian Grand Prix. Especially in hot temperatures, the team from Woking, according to the 28-year-old’s assessment, is always expected to be at the front.
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“Miami was the first really hot race, and they almost won it,” Russell explained on Friday after the free practice sessions. “In Barcelona, Lando had a similar pace to us and Lewis. And here they also look very strong again.”
“So you can see a clear trend: In hot races, they apparently can step up again, while we might take a step back,” emphasized the third in the World Championship. “Seeing the McLarens at the top after the first lap in FP2 was a real surprise. And the race pace [of the McLarens] is better than ours, especially Lando’s.”
Looking at the long-run analysis by our editor Kevin Herrmann, the Mercedes driver’s concern does not come true. After all, McLaren currently has a deficit of just under two tenths of a second and is struggling with high tire wear in Spielberg.
In the second free practice, Kimi Antonelli secured the best time, more than two tenths ahead of Oscar Piastri. While Norris was right behind with the third-best time, Russell ended the session in sixth place with a six-tenths deficit.
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In terms of pace, more would have been possible for the third-placed driver in the championship, but a mistake on his fast lap prevented a better time.
Neil Houdley, McLaren’s Technical Director, could not suppress a chuckle in response to Russell’s forecast. “I would like to believe that George is right,” Houdley explained. “But I think we have to stay realistic. We have made a few small changes.”
“There are still some possibilities [in development], but we have seen how fast Kimi was. And I am sure George can also drive these times. We know that Ferrari was very, very fast in Barcelona, and there is no reason to believe they won’t be fast here as well.”
This skepticism is shared by Piastri after the free practice sessions. “I don’t know if we can keep up with Mercedes,” said the 25-year-old. “We are probably ‘Best of the Rest’ behind the two. But I believe Kimi and Mercedes will always find a lot of pace from Friday to Saturday. So I expect them to be very, very fast tomorrow.”
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