Mercedes Working to Improve Race Starts Ahead of Miami Grand Prix

According to George Russell, the Mercedes team is diligently working to enhance their race starts, a notable weakness, despite their impressive performance in the current season. With four front-row lockouts in the first three Grands Prix and Sprint, neither Russell nor his teammate has managed to take the lead after the opening lap. However, the team's pace has been sufficient to bounce back and secure wins. Ferrari has demonstrated exceptional starting skills, attributed to their compact turbo, which enables quicker spin-up times and facilitates finding the ideal launch window. Russell emphasized that while opportunities to practice starts are limited, the team is focusing on analyzing data to address this significant flaw. In an interview with Sky Germany during Pirelli tire testing in Germany, Russell highlighted the extensive work being done behind the scenes, including simulator analysis and data scrutiny, to improve their starts. The team is prohibited from practicing starts during tire testing, but they are leveraging this period to refine their strategy. Russell expressed his hope that they can build on their current understanding of the issues hindering their race starts and make necessary improvements. The Formula 1 season resumes on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the second Sprint weekend, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.