Russell warns Mercedes W16 flaws are 'baked in'

George Russell has raised significant concerns about fundamental weaknesses in the W16 car design following a disappointing weekend at the Imola Grand Prix.

The British driver finished a distant seventh while rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli retired with throttle issues in what team officials described as their "most difficult grand prix of the season."

Temperature sensitivity

Russell identified a worrying pattern in the team's performance that appears directly linked to track conditions.

"When it's hot, we're slow. When it's cold, we're quick. That was the same last year,"

Russell explained to media including PlanetF1.com at Imola.

The temperature-related performance deficit has persisted despite extensive setup changes, suggesting deeper design issues within the W16 chassis.

"We've been doing everything with the setup to try and find solutions, but there's clearly something more fundamental in the car," Russell continued.

He delivered a sobering assessment of the situation.

"I wouldn't say we are running out of ideas to solve the tyres but, as I said, it's sort of baked into the car."

Rear tire management difficulties

Throughout the Imola race, Russell battled persistent rear tire problems in the warmer conditions—an issue competitors managed far more effectively.

"I struggled with the rear end of the car from the beginning and was not able to get into a good rhythm,"

Russell said.

"With a relatively high track temperature, we were suffering from overheating on the rear axle."

This overheating created a cascade of performance problems.

"It was therefore tough to keep the tyres in the right window and the pace reflected that. We couldn't match the leaders' pace, so it was very much damage limitation."

Monaco hope

Despite the concerning performance trend, Russell expressed cautious optimism about the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix, where different performance attributes come into play.

"I am looking forward to getting out on track there. We've been good and consistent in qualifying this season with strong single laps and this will help next week," Russell stated.

The unique nature of the Monaco street circuit might temporarily mask Mercedes' tire degradation issues.

"Monaco is one of these races where a lot depends on Saturday and I am confident in how we can perform there."

Mercedes team representative Bradley Lord, standing in for the absent Team Principal Toto Wolff, didn't mince words about their performance level.

"To come away with P7 and a DNF is far below the standards we set ourselves as a team," Lord admitted.

He detailed Russell's race struggles:

"George reported a lack of rear stability, and he struggled to keep the rear tyre temperatures under control, which led to accelerated degradation. This forced us into an early stop, and onto a two-stop strategy."

With summer approaching and warmer races on the horizon, Mercedes faces mounting pressure to solve their temperature sensitivity issues.

Russell's warning that the team needs to "think quick" underscores the urgency of addressing these fundamental design flaws before their championship hopes slip further away.