GEORGE RUSSELL BRACED FOR "PAINFUL" MERCEDES BLOW AS LEWIS HAMILTON WARNED

Mercedes are bracing for a "painful few weeks" ahead after another limp performance in Miami.

The Silver Arrows took upgrades to Florida but there was no notable improvement to their fortunes. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth - his best Grand Prix result of the season so far - and was pleased with his efforts.

Team-mate George Russell was two places further back and couldn't hide his frustration. And with no more major upgrades coming any time soon, the 26-year-old fears the worst for the races ahead.

He said: "Right now, we don't have things right and need to make changes quickly. We do have a few things coming in the short-term but nothing that is going to transform us into race-winners.

"So it is going to be painful for a few weeks. I think we have to accept that we are the fourth fastest team. The lap times and the championship don't lie, this is where we are and I think we're fighting for the P5-P8 region week in, week out."

Speaking specifically about his race in Miami, Russell added: "It was a pretty rubbish race from start to finish, in all honesty. I had a good start but when Checo [Perez] sent it down the inside, when he rejoined everybody had to check up a bit and it cost me three positions.

"Then [I] just had no pace at all there on in, so I need to check the car, check the data because something didn't feel quite right... It's definitely felt like a more difficult weekend than all of the others, but the results have all really been relatively similar."

Mercedes are fourth in the constructors' championship and are in danger of being cut adrift from those above them. Red Bull and Ferrari are already more than 100 points ahead while McLaren widened the gap in Miami thanks to a maiden F1 victory for Lando Norris.

Russell did manage a smile when speaking about his good friend and fellow Brit as he congratulated the McLaren driver on his maiden success. The 26-year-old said: "A massive well done to Lando and McLaren.

"He truly deserves it and, all told, he probably deserves to have more than one victory already by now. We've been racing each other for a long time. He's put so much hard work in and I had no doubts that he would win in F1. I'm very happy for him."

2024-05-07T13:44:55Z dg43tfdfdgfd