Mercedes F1 Team Shows Promising Performance at Australian GP

Competing Against Aston Martin

There's been a ton of pressure on the Mercedes-AMG F1 team since the beginning of the season to try and catch up. While the expectations within the team were to be competitive with Red Bull and fight for wins, the disappointment of the first Grand Prix weekend of the season proved to the team from Brackley that their main competition will be their own engine customer in Aston Martin. An embarrassment by the team's lofty standards, but an opportunity to improve as well. 

Taking the Fight Back to Aston Martin

After a couple of races being beaten by Aston Martin's legendary driver Fernando Alonso, Mercedes took the fight back to the team led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll. The Australian Grand Prix qualifying saw George Russell in second place and Lewis Hamilton third on the grid. The young Russell outperformed the 7-time champion in qualifying once again. 

Successful Saturday

The qualifying margin between the Mercedes and Alonso wasn't very big, though. So a great start to the race was needed for the AMG duo to establish their spots for the race. Plus, race pace is what brings points, not single-lap qualifying times. And a great start is exactly what they got.

Great Start

Russell shockingly managed to take the lead of the race within the first couple of corners from Red Bull's Max Verstappen. And Hamilton held his place, even taking it to the Red Bull for a little bit. However, an unfortunate strategic decision by the Mercedes pit wall, choosing to have Russell pit under the safety car only to see the race red-flagged soon thereafter, cost Russell his advantageous position. From there the only Mercedes in the fight for the podium places was Hamilton. 

Crazy Race

Although Lewis wasn't quite able to battle it out with the blistering Red Bull in first place, he ended up having a respectable performance, fending off the challenge of Alonso to keep second place and bring home a good chunk of points. In a race filled with madness, including more than one red flag, Mercedes showed some improvement and promise.

Two Steps Back?

It wasn't all positive, though, as Russell's misfortune continued with an engine failure, further ruining what could have been a great result for the young driver. And the failure is a scary sight for the team that prides itself on reliability. Especially when their mission is to make improvements, this seems like a brutal step in the wrong direction.

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