Hamilton proved how sturdy the race tempo of the crew’s W15 is when he completed second within the Shanghai dash, overwhelmed solely by Max Verstappen’s Pink Bull.
It was a efficiency that confirmed suspicions that the Mercedes is healthier in opposition to the opposition on lengthy runs, however is struggling to extract pretty much as good a efficiency on single-lap kind which regularly leaves it far down the order.
Russell stated that Hamilton’s outcome confirmed what was attainable for the crew if it may get itself additional up the grid, as his squad labored exhausting to unravel why it’s shedding out on recent tyres.
“Lewis proved that if you may get on the suitable aspect of that qualifying group and gaggle of automobiles, we are able to go on to attain a podium,” he stated. “The potential was there in Bahrain, and Lewis did it [in the sprint]. If that was a foremost grand prix, he would nonetheless in all probability have completed P3.
“However qualifying was a difficult one. So it isn’t simple for anyone, and I believe Ferrari aren’t content material, Aston aren’t glad. All people desires to be combating for victories and, proper now, no crew is doing a ok job bar Pink Bull.”
Russell stated that the glimmer of sunshine delivered by Hamilton’s podium couldn’t disguise the truth that Mercedes nonetheless wanted to work exhausting to not qualify within the pack.
“I believe that is simply the place we’re as a crew in the meanwhile,” he stated. “We’re in that struggle. We all know we’ve a sooner race automotive, 9 occasions out of 10, than we do a qualifying automotive.
“Within the [sprint] race we had been faster than Aston, we had been faster than McLaren, and possibly a small step behind Ferrari. That is been a small development during the last three years the place we have been barely on the again foot on a Saturday, and we come ahead on a Sunday.
“However we’re not content material with the place we’re. We have got a number of work to do. And we’re all on this struggle for better of the remainder.”
Hamilton’s pleasure on the dash podium didn’t final lengthy as a disappointing qualifying efficiency, the place he was caught out by a tailwind at Turn 14, left him knocked out in Q1 and down in 18th on the grid.
Requested if he was shocked to see Hamilton thus far down, Russell stated: “In fact. He’s the best driver of all time and that is not the place he ought to be. It’s not the place we ought to be combating.
“However we’re right here collectively as a crew. And collectively, we simply have to carry on pushing ahead and attempt to make some large positive aspects because the season goes on.”