Russell: 'Mercedes may have same problem as Williams'

Mercedes drivers had major problems keeping the car on the track during the winter test. Those problems seemed largely resolved during the Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain, something George Russell says is not a given.

Mercedes, he says, suffered from the same problems as Williams in Bahrain: enormous wind sensitivity. "To deal with something as substantial as this you have to completely redesign things," Russell is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.

At Williams, this was clearly not yet possible before the Bahrain GP. Russell states that you should not underestimate the impact of the wind on a track like Bahrain. There is absolutely no shelter so a stiff breeze can have a big impact. That should be less in the coming races in Imola and Portimao.

"Time will tell, but I believe Mercedes may be facing the same problem [as Williams]. They probably struggled more last weekend than we will see them struggle at races in the near future," Russell said.