Mercedes duo offer thoughts on Singapore win prospects

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are sceptical that F1’s next Grand Prix in Singapore will provide them with an opportunity to score the Silver Arrows’ first win of the 2022 season.

After struggling badly with bouncing and porpoising at the start of the year, Mercedes have since closed the gap on the frontrunning Red Bulls and Ferraris, with Russell and Hamilton respectively leading several laps in Budapest and Zandvoort.

If Mercedes fail to win a race this year, it will be the first time since 2011 that the Brackley-based squad hasn’t topped the podium during a Grand Prix season, and despite suggestions that the tight confines of Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit may suit the W13, Hamilton fears runaway championship leader Max Verstappen will still have too much pace in hand.

“We have to be realistic. That Red Bull is almost unbeatable,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.com.

“It’s going to take some real doing to beat that car. Performance-wise they are fully ahead of everyone.

“We haven’t caught them and we don’t have upgrades coming to overtake them, so it’s going to take some fortune going our way.

“Not impossible, because we could potentially have beaten them in Zandvoort, maybe could have beaten them in Budapest.”

Russell downbeat over Singapore bumps

Meanwhile, Russell also suggested that it would be hard for Mercedes to win in Singapore, noting that the W13 has struggled over bumps at other street circuits earlier in the season.

“I think, on paper, Singapore should suit our car – but when we look back at the street circuits of Monaco and Azerbaijan, our car doesn't fare too well over the bumps,” said Russell.

“We're not too sure how it will fall out. But we need to keep on pushing, keep on improving the car and I'm pleased that we've got a clear direction we need to go now.”