P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell believes he needs to “step up” in Baku after a heavily-disrupted practice Friday left him “struggling with confidence” in his Mercedes.
George Russell stated that he needs to improve his performance in Baku after a challenging start during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. He acknowledged being slower than his teammate Lewis Hamilton in Friday’s practice sessions, which were also disrupted by technical issues. Despite finishing eighth in the first practice and ninth in the second, Russell faced struggles with car confidence and tire management. He emphasized the necessity to elevate his performance level to narrow the gap between himself and Hamilton. While Hamilton had a more successful day, Russell remains focused on improving for the upcoming sessions and qualifying. Additionally, he expressed concern about the strong competition from teams like Ferrari, who demonstrated impressive pace during FP2.
