Hamilton proved how robust the race tempo of the crew’s W15 is when he completed second within the Shanghai dash, crushed solely by Max Verstappen’s Purple 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 nearly as good a efficiency on single-lap type which frequently leaves it far down the order.
Russell mentioned that Hamilton’s outcome confirmed what was potential for the crew if it may get itself additional up the grid, as his squad labored laborious to resolve why it’s shedding out on recent tyres.
“Lewis proved that if you will get on the suitable facet of that qualifying group and gaggle of automobiles, we will go on to attain a podium,” he mentioned. “The potential was there in Bahrain, and Lewis did it [in the sprint]. If that was a major grand prix, he would nonetheless in all probability have completed P3.
“However qualifying was a difficult one. So it is not simple for anyone, and I believe Ferrari aren’t content material, Aston aren’t joyful. Everyone needs to be preventing for victories and, proper now, no crew is doing a adequate job bar Purple Bull.”
Russell mentioned that the glimmer of sunshine delivered by Hamilton’s podium couldn’t disguise the truth that Mercedes nonetheless wanted to work laborious to not qualify within the pack.
“I believe that is simply the place we’re as a crew in the intervening time,” he mentioned. “We’re in that struggle. We all know we have now a quicker race automotive, 9 instances 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 pattern 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 a variety 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 to this point down, Russell mentioned: “After all. He’s the best driver of all time and that is not the place he must be. It’s not the place we must be preventing.
“However we’re right here collectively as a crew. And collectively, we simply have to carry on pushing ahead and attempt to make some huge positive factors because the season goes on.”