George Russell points to Mercedes concern after 'difficult' test day

George Russell has conceded Mercedes endured a “difficult” start to the Bahrain test on Wednesday.

The Brackley-based squad was the talk of the paddock heading to the pre-season test following its strong showing at the Barcelona shakedown last month.

Mercedes is also facing pushback from rival manufacturers over its ability to run its engine at a higher compression ratio, a situation other teams want resolved before the start of the campaign.

But as it looked to pick up where it left off in Barcelona, it proved to be a more challenging day for Mercedes.

Russell held driving duties in the morning and clocked 56 laps in the first four hours - but admitted he was far from pleased with the car's performance.

“We've had a difficult first day here in Bahrain,” he said.

“We had a solid three days on track in Barcelona, but we haven't hit the ground running here in the Middle East. 

“We were experimenting with the overall balance of the car this morning, but it didn't feel as responsive as it did in Spain. 

“That is partly to do with the higher track temperatures but there's work for us to do to get the W17 into a happier place.”

Team-mate Kimi Antonelli took over in the afternoon, but a set-up issue caused him to miss three out of the four hours allocated to him.

With McLaren and Red Bull clocking up strong mileage and leading the timesheet after Day 1, Russell stated Mercedes is playing catch-up.

“Our competitors, particularly Red Bull Racing and McLaren, have once again impressed as they did in Barcelona,” he said.

“It's clear that we've got ground to make up and we are already working hard to do so.”