George Russell humorously stated that he is preparing to hear complaints from Lewis Hamilton about the Mercedes engine during the flight to Shanghai, where the Formula 1 Chinese GP will be held this coming weekend.
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After the Australian GP, Mercedes stood out by outperforming the competition by 0,8 seconds on a qualifying lap, with Russell and Kimi Antonelli securing a reasonably comfortable 1-2 finish. Ferrari proved competitive, especially at the start, but was unable to keep up with the Brackley team’s pace throughout the race. Hamilton finished fourth, just behind his teammate Charles Leclerc in P3, repeating his best GP result with the Scuderia to date.
Considering all the pre-season controversy regarding the Mercedes engine and an alleged loophole in the compression ratio, Russell anticipated that Hamilton might comment on it during the trip: “I’ll be flying with Lewis, so I’m sure I’ll hear about: ‘Your engine is very good, but your compression ratio is illegal’, this and that. So, yeah, I think I’ll try to go to sleep early. I’ll just say: ‘Shut up and mind your own race’,” he said laughing to Viaplay.
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Hamilton, for his part, confirmed concerns about Mercedes’ alleged engine advantage, stating he would be ‘disappointed’ with the FIA if there were irregularities. Despite this, Ferrari’s performance in Australia brought some optimism, as Leclerc was surprised by the Italian team’s pace during the race, after battling for the lead with Russell in the opening laps.
The Chinese GP promises to show whether the Melbourne advantage holds and if Hamilton will continue seeking answers about the rival engine.
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