"Disappointing and frustrating day" in Austin, claims Toto Wolff
Following a difficult sprint race and main qualifying session, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has revealed that both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton suffered from tyre overheating which made it impossible for them to take on the fight with the leading four drivers.
Following a strong showing in sprint qualifying, Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton endured different fortunes in the main qualifying for the United States Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton complained about strange feeling and noises in the Austin F1 Sprint, and the issue returned in qualifying. It meant that he had a scruffy middle sector on his only flying lap on the new set of softs, and as a result of it, he endured a shock exit at the end of Q1.
The seven-time world champion labelled his day in Austin as "tough", but he vows to give his best to move himself up the grid.
Having struggled with tyre overheating in the sprint race, George Russell pushed extremely hard in Q3 and lost control of the back of his W15 approaching Turn 19, and crashed heavily into the barriers. He was okay, but the resultant yellow flags meant no one else was able to complete their second flying laps out there.
Reflecting on Mercedes' Saturday in Austin, team boss Toto Wolff insisted that tyre management has been the main reason for the Brackley-based outfit's struggles.
"A disappointing and frustrating day. After a strong Friday, we were hopeful of a good showing and it quickly became clear in the Sprint that we didn’t have the pace of our nearest competitors, falling back to finish a distant P5 and P6.
"Added to that, the handling balance both drivers had enjoyed the day before was missing and they were struggling with tyre overheating - Lewis on the rear axle, George on the front.
"We made some set-up changes to tackle this ahead of Qualifying, but we continued to struggle and couldn’t unlock the same level of performance we had seen on Friday, with Lewis finishing P19 and George P6 but unable to complete his final flying lap.
"Tomorrow’s race will therefore be an uphill battle: there is a major repair job ahead for George after the Q3 crash. With Lewis starting P19, it will be a case of damage limitation in the race: fighting for meaningful points will be tough and we need things to fall in our favour to do so."
Assessing the team's performance Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin has revealed that the team did not have the necessary speed despite the comprehensive upgrade package that the eight-time world champion team introduced in Austin.
"After a promising Friday, this was a tough Saturday. It became apparent early in the Sprint that we didn't have the speed of our competitors. We were pushing hard to keep up with those ahead and that put extra energy through the tyres. That overheating bit us hard in the second half of the race and we could only manage P5 and P6. We also found a broken part on Lewis' front suspension post Sprint and that definitely impacted the overall balance.
"In an effort to get the car back to the sweet spot we had on Friday, we made some set-up adjustments ahead of Qualifying. Sadly these didn't have the desired effect. A consistent balance continued to elude Lewis although he was unfortunate to be knocked out in Q1 having been impacted by traffic in sector one. George fared slightly better and was on a strong lap in Q3 but came unstuck at turn 12 with a lock up and then finally turn 19 with his off.
"We have a lot of work to do to get George's car ready for the race. The team will be working hard through the evening in order to do that. We know tomorrow will likely be a tough fight but we will continue to work diligently and hard, looking to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way."
