Russell admits confusion with Mercedes car after missing Q3 in Miami

Mercedes looked like they could both challenge for the second row on the grid during Friday practice, but again were miles off the pace when it mattered in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix. George Russell didn't reach Q3 and admitted his confusion in the car whilst talking to Sky Sports. 

More troubles

"We were a bit confused to be honest. My qualifying lap there was slower than FP2 and the car is completely different today struggling with porpoising and just couldn't attack any of the corners really. It's a shame because I think there was potential in there. We saw yesterday that we were really quick and it was massively away from us today. It has been inconsistent and we went conservative with the set up to make sure we avoid porpoising but it seemed just as bad as this morning," Russell said. 

Porpoising has been a problem for Mercedes throughout the season so far. There's a popular belief that Mercedes have a strong car waiting to be unlocked when porpoising issue is solved. Russell explained this in more detailed. 

"It [porpoising] was going all the way through turn 4 and 5 and you can't attack into the braking zones. It just doesn't make sense. When we get it into the window it is fast but disappointed for myself and the team. Yesterday it looked like we were in the fight for pole and today we qualified P12 which was the worst qualifying of the year and it doesn't make a lot of sense," Russell added.