"Ferrari probably struggled a bit more than us"- Mercedes' George Russell gathers positives despite being 'a little bit further off the pace' at 2022 F1 French GP practice

George Russell was not too happy with how his first day at the 2022 F1 French GP went. The Mercedes driver ended the second practice session in P4 but was almost seven-tenths slower than the fastest time set by the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Having said that, Mercedes' long-run pace looked very competitive and was slightly quicker than Ferrari's as well. Speaking to the media, Russell shared his views on the day, saying:

“A lot to go over. I think our high-fuel pace was probably better than our low-fuel pace, so we need to make sure we optimise tomorrow to make sure there are no midfield cars in between us and the front four, and then see how we get on for Sunday. But I think the Ferrari probably struggled a bit more than us, Max [Verstappen] looked very fast as usual, so work to do.”

Earlier, Mercedes brought a few upgrades to the track for the French weekend. George Russell was questioned if those upgrades had resulted in the expected performance jump. The Mercedes driver felt that he needed to go back and check the data before making any comments on it, especially because there is always a factor in other teams also bringing upgrades and making improvements.

He said:

“I need to look exactly at the data. We think so, but everybody keeps on improving their car, keeps on bringing updates, and the whole grid just moves forward, so even though we are finding time, our rivals are also finding time, so it’s sometimes not quite so simple to see it on the lap chart.”

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A race win in the 2022 F1 French GP an "outside shot": George Russell

Mercedes is currently on a 3-race podium streak. With the track's smoother surface and high temperatures playing a role, George Russell and his team were expected to challenge for the win this weekend. The Mercedes driver was asked if he felt that there was an outside shot at a win this weekend, to which he replied, saying:

“Outside shot is probably a way to put it. We are probably a little bit further off the pace today than we would have hoped. Work to do tonight back at the factories, but never say never.”

Russell last found himself on the podium in Baku and ever since, he's lost out to his teammate Lewis Hamilton for three weekends in a row. The young driver will be hoping to get one over Hamilton this weekend.