Mercedes have seen somewhat of a mid-season resurgence; finishing on the podium in the last three races. Their recent updates and the circuit suiting their car have them being tipped for a win. It would be Mercedes’ first win of the season, and in a recent interview, George Russell was posed the question if he could be the driver to get it.

George nonchalantly replied, “Yeah why not why not, we’ll definitely be going for it.” He went on to add, “there’s a lot of expectations  upon Mercedes this weekend.” However, he also downplayed the surrounding hype, “Not too sure where that [the hype around Mercedes] is coming from but we’re definitely improving the car we’re closing that gap”

However, he remained realistic about his chances amid the recent upgrades. “But realistically, I mean if we do everything perfectly, we’ll be about a tenth and a half, two-tenths behind Ferrari and Red Bull.”

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However, many continue to back them for a shot at a victory in France. George Russell would be happy to get his maiden win; carrying with him, the first Mercedes win in a seesaw of a season.

Mercedes’ outing on Friday at Circuit Paul Ricard

Mercedes had a good outing on Friday at the French GP. The first session saw Nyck de Vries replace Lewis Hamilton for FP1. Russell went further up the road in P4 and the Dutchman finished the session in P9. The second practice session saw Hamilton back in his W-13.

FP2 saw Russell once again finish a consistent 4th, while Hamilton ended the session in P5. However, Russell was 7 tenths off the session leader Carlos Sainz. and Hamilton 2 seconds further behind. Hamilton has since then said, “We have a lot of work to do, a lot of ground to cover still. The car is not spectacular here and we don’t know why.”

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However, he remained optimistic about their chances,  “I’m sure hopefully overnight, we can make a bit of a step. So I’m hoping that’s the case tomorrow.”

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Hamilton and Russell will now be looking forward to nailing down qualifying, before setting their sights on a victory in the race. In the meantime, all the Mercedes team can do is hope that fortune sides with them in the race.