Russell ‘in a good place’ after ‘decent’ Friday for Mercedes in Spain despite concern over long-run pace

George Russell ended Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix in a “good place” after reaching P2 on the timesheets, though the Mercedes driver acknowledged that the team still need to work on their long-run pace in comparison to their Qualifying form.

Off the back of a nightmarish weekend for the squad last time out in Monaco, the Silver Arrows did not initially show their hand in first practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after opting not to run the soft tyres during the session, leaving Russell and team mate Kimi Antonelli in P11 and P18 respectively.

FP2: Piastri tops the timesheets ahead of Russell and Verstappen during second practice in Spain

The picture appeared more positive in FP2, however, with Russell setting the pace for a period of the session. While he went on to be displaced by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the Briton remained in second place while Antonelli ended the hour in sixth.

Reflecting back on the day’s running, Russell commented: “In the Quali runs we looked pretty decent, so it was nice to be back where the car has been after some tough races. Nevertheless, the long run pace doesn’t look superb and that has been an objective of ours recently, to try and improve the long run pace.

‘Long-run pace not looking superb’ for Russell and Mercedes in Spain

“We need to go through the data, we need to compare how we fell out compared to our rivals, but definitely the long run pace is a small concern.”

Pushed on whether this is an area to focus on overnight ahead of Qualifying on Saturday, the 27-year-old sounded a positive note as he answered: “Yeah, I feel in a good place. I’m enjoying driving this circuit, it felt good out there today, it’s hot. Let’s see what the next two days bring.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from FP2 in Barcelona as Piastri heads the timesheets

While it was not an entirely smooth day for Antonelli – with the Italian reporting some bouncing from his W16, as well as having a moment over the bumps at Turn 9 – the youngster was pleased with the progress made between FP1 and FP2 in Barcelona.

“We need to check on the floor, but definitely I was suffering a little bit of bouncing, especially in high speed and it was a bit more than usual, so we need to check whether it did something to the floor,” Antonelli explained.

Antonelli explains struggles with ‘bouncing’ after Friday practice in Spain

“Already from single lap [running] I was struggling a little bit with the bouncing in high speed. But overall I think the car was much better in FP2, I was feeling much more confident compared to FP1 and I was able to get into the rhythm, especially single lap [runs].

“On long runs, I had a bit of a different approach compared to George and I was quite a bit quicker in the beginning and then a bit slower in the end, so I will need to check tonight in order to find the right balance for what it’s going to be on Sunday.”

EXPLAINED: Everything you need to know about the Spanish Grand Prix front wing Technical Directive

And when asked if he feels confident about finding the tenths to catch Russell and potentially challenge McLaren, Antonelli added: “Yeah, that’s the goal.

“I think, with the team, we’re moving in the right direction. On my side I’m seeing where I need to work on, and tomorrow is another day and we’ve tried to do our best.»