Russell eyeing new approach amid Mercedes struggles

George Russell has revealed he will undertake a different approach to the race weekend at Zandvoort after a challenging opening half to the season.

The Briton has claimed just a single podium result in his second campaign with Mercedes, while teammate Lewis Hamilton has scored four.

But Russell believes it is in qualifying trim where he has struggled more, despite out-pacing Hamilton on five occasions this season.

Mercedes recently outlined the reason for Russell’s struggles, explaining they stemmed from the stiffness of the cars that are running closer to the ground compared to previous eras.

Compromises

As he looks to begin the second half of the campaign on the right foot, Russell will explore new approaches at the Dutch Grand Prix and told RacingNews365: "There was definitely something short-term that we looked at.

"Spa probably validated our thoughts and where we’re perhaps been going in the wrong direction with a few setup choices. It’s only minor things.

"Our race pace has been really strong this season. On a personal level, I've been super happy with my race pace.

"Qualifying, which has been always my strength has been a bit of a weakness in recent races and we have some ideas why that is

"Things we've done with the car perhaps helps the race but compromises qualifying too much.

"So as I said, we're going with fresh eyes this weekend, a slightly different approach and see what it brings."