Russell on fitting into Hamilton's Mercedes seat for Sakhir 2020
George Russell says he still has scars on his hips from squeezing into Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes race seat when he was called up for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19. George Russell said: "I got the phone call on the Tuesday. I jumped in the car on Wednesday to see if I fit, and I did not. It was Lewis and Valtteri Bottas, who were the two drivers at the time. They are quite a bit shorter than me. I've also got quite big flipper feet as well, which is quite tight in a Formula 1 car. And I was scrunched in, bent over, my shoes didn't fit."
George Russell still carries scars from 2020 Mercedes F1 call-up
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Allison on Mercedes frustration despite leading both championships
Mercedes technical director James Allison says the team is “not as satisfied” as he would like to be with its start to the season, despite heading into the summer break leading both championships after losing points through reliability issues. Allison said: "It may sound a little churlish, but probably not as satisfied as I would like to be. If somebody had offered us that position before the season started, I'd have taken it immediately. But given the competitiveness of the car we've had this year, I think we should have scored more points than we have. There's a degree of frustration about that across the team."
Mercedes offer surprisingly 'churlish' F1 mid-season review: 'There's a degree of frustration'
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Towriss on unsubstantiated Cadillac 2027 driver rumours
Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss says rumours linking the team with young drivers for a potential 2027 race seat are “not substantiated”, while stressing that “things can always change” in Formula 1. Towriss said: "I'll throw the caveat though. It's Formula 1. Things can always change. There are no changes planned at the moment for '27, but things can always change. I know there's been some of the rumours out there with some of the young drivers. They're not substantiated, so that's not something I would focus on."
Cadillac F1 chief responds amid Colton Herta and Camara rumours
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Wolff on Antonelli's title lead and Mercedes reliability
Toto Wolff says it is “too early” to call Kimi Antonelli the Formula 1 title favourite despite the Mercedes driver holding a 50-point lead at the midpoint of the season, pointing to the number of races still to come and his team’s reliability. Toto Wolff said: "It's too early to say. I'm superstitious. Even though the gap is 50 points, there are so many races to go. A DNF or two can just swing things massively, and we've not been great on reliability."
Why Toto Wolff is refusing to call Kimi Antonelli the F1 title favourite
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Singh on McLaren leadership removing blame culture
McLaren Racing Director Randeep Singh said a change in leadership under Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella has removed a “blame culture” at the team, which he credits with empowering staff as McLaren’s revival led to a double championship last season. Singh said: "The main thing is just the leadership changed with Andrea and Zak, and I think that's just empowered everyone to go about their jobs. There's no blame. There's none of that here. You just get on with constantly improving. Good things, bad things, and you treat them the same way. So that's really empowering."
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Herta on adapting to F2 tyres without blankets
Colton Herta says his first Formula 2 season has been an “eye-opening” experience, with adapting to Pirelli tyres without blankets the biggest challenge as he targets a potential Formula 1 race seat with Cadillac. Herta said: "I would say the tyre [is the biggest challenge]. I think the Pirelli, specifically coming from cold, without having the tire blankets, it's quite particular. If anything, it kind of sets you up nicely because it's easier when you get to Formula 1, because once you have the tyre blankets, it's all about maintaining temperature, not bringing it from whatever it might be, 30, 40 degrees, to what it gets to. So if anything, I think it simplifies it a little bit."
Cadillac F1 hopeful details 'eye-opening' experience
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