Austrian GP 2024– The positions for remain unchanged Mercedes after yesterday's qualifying. Following an excellent start by Sainz which saw him steal fourth place from Russell, the former Williams man takes it back after a few laps and leads the Ferrari n°55. There Sprint Race of the Three-Pointed Star company finished in fourth place with Russell and sixth with Hamilton.
McLaren and Red Bull are a little distant, but the fight with the Ferraris has heated up. It will be important for the Brackley team to do better than the Maranello team in today's qualifying, because the fact of being in the DRS train reduces the chances of overtaking given the minimal differences in performance between the two rivals.
Let's see in detail the words of the two Mercedes drivers.
Austrian GP – Sprint Race, Hamilton: “Not comfortable today”
While his teammate achieved a good fourth position, the seven-time world champion was unable to worry Sainz's Ferrari. Already yesterday, the Brit was experiencing problems feeling with his single-seater: in fact he was unable to impose himself in the Sprint Qualifying. The feeling he also passed away today, so he will have to work together with the team to find the right balance for qualifying at 4pm.
“I wasn't comfortable today. The feeling is similar to that of yesterday's qualifying. I don't like the current balance, we'll adjust it for qualifying, hoping to do well this afternoon."
Austrian GP – Sprint Race, Russell: “Nice to be in front of the Ferraris”
The former Williams player smiles after having played a good race Sprint Race. Winner in the battle with Carlos, he shows how much Mercedes has improved compared to the first races of the season.
“It was one of the best Sprint Races for me, with the battle for fourth place with Carlos. As soon as I passed Sainz, I wasn't able to take the DRS off him straight away, but overall it's good. The McLarens are still ahead, but it's nice to see the Ferraris in front of us. We will make some changes in view of qualifying, but the car is in a good place. It feels like we're a tenth and a half behind Max and the McLarens.
Crediti foto: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team