Britain’s Russell not expecting Mercedes to win in Bahrain

Mercedes’ George Russell said he had been impressed watching the Red Bull out on track at the Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday, when reigning champion Max Verstappen was fastest overall, and Friday.

Feels great to be back! We've got two more busy days ahead, lots of work to do. Bring it on. 👊 pic.twitter.com/7cA0ead5cQ

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) February 23, 2023

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The British driver does not expect Mercedes to be competing for victory at the start of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain on March 5

“We definitely believe eventually we will have a car capable of getting in that fight. Whether we’re going to have that next weekend in Bahrain, I think may be a bit of a stretch.”

“They (Red Bull) look very strong, very stable. The car is looking really strong and obviously Max is performing really well.

“So I think realistically, it will be a stretch for next week. But there’s no reason why eventually we can’t get there at some point this year, and we’ve always seen the strength of Mercedes and their development rates. So yeah, definitely. My belief is that.”