“We’re expecting probably a half-second deficit,” George Russell mused, moments after putting his Mercedes in third place on the Bahrain Grand Prix grid. Asked to estimate the advantage Red Bull would have in the race, Russell reckoned that it would be slightly larger than the 0.3s per lap difference seen on the timing boards between himself and Verstappen on Friday night.
Max Verstappen looked slightly surprised by Russell’s assertion. “Half a second?!” he exclaimed with feigned indignance. “I think that’s way too big. But if you say that now, then if it’s better tomorrow, then you can say, ‘Oh, it’s unbelievable, the car is unbelievable.’”
“Under-promise, over-deliver!” was Russell’s riposte, quietly hoping that Verstappen was right and Mercedes would find a stronger vein of performance in Saturday’s 57-lap race. Instead, he’d inadvertently…
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Autosport (Digital) - 1 Issue, 07/03/24