Russell confirms Mercedes is looking into strange F1 trend

George Russell has stated that Mercedes is looking into the fluctuating qualifying gaps that were present between himself and Lewis Hamilton throughout the Formula 1 season.

Mercedes ended the Constructors Championship in second place despite enduring its first winless season since 2011.

Russell and Hamilton were the only team-mate pairing to end the qualifying head-to-head battle equal, as they both outqualified each other 11 times.

However, it was often the case that when one out-paced the other at a race weekend, a large deficit on the timesheets was present between the duo.

Despite the large gaps, across the season, Hamilton was 0.017s faster than Russell - with the Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon to have a closer gap.

With the form swinging wildly between Hamilton and Russell at alternating weekends, the latter has asserted that it is being looked into by the team.

“It's definitely something we've noticed,” Russell said. “Lewis and I, over the course of the year, I don't think we've ever been at the same pace.

“Over the last few years our qualifying record is almost the same. But it's either one driver is six tenths ahead of the other. So it's something we're trying to understand.

“I think often when you're slightly on the backfoot as a driver, you're chasing to close that gap.

“Sometimes in doing so, you take a step backwards rather than actually close that gap naturally.

“It’s something I'm trying to figure out myself and I'm sure he’s trying to figure out as well.”