P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell could only take 13th place for Mercedes in FP2 – and has explained why.
George Russell elaborated on the reason for his slower pace in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, attributing it to a “radical” set-up plan. Despite finishing 13th in free practice 2, one second behind Lando Norris, and four-tenths behind Lewis Hamilton, Russell faced rear-instability issues throughout the day. The British driver mentioned that the experimental set-ups were aimed at aiding the development of the 2025 W16 machine. Russell hoped for a more conventional day in Saturday’s session and acknowledged the gap between Mercedes and McLaren and Ferrari. He anticipated improvements and competition from the likes of Ferrari and Max Verstappen in the upcoming races.
