Titles not won in testing, says George Russell, conceding McLaren and Ferrari have caught Mercedes
McLaren and Ferrari have once again set the pace on day two of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Spain, with Mercedes conceding they've got work to do to remain ahead of both teams.
But Lewis Hamilton's new teammate, George Russell, has a warning for Daniel Ricciardo - world championships aren't won in February.
Ricciardo topped the times on the second morning before eventually settling for third place behind Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly. That came on the back of teammate Lando Norris finishing first on day one.
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Ricciardo completed 126 laps of the Barcelona track on day two, which equates to almost twice the distance of a grand prix.
His best time of 1:20.288 was about six-tenths behind Leclerc, and a quarter of a second ahead of Russell's Mercedes.
Lap times this early in testing are notoriously unreliable, but Russell said some trends are already becoming clear.
Daniel Ricciardo in action for McLaren on day two of pre-season testing in Spain. Getty
"Some teams are looking pretty fast," he said.
"A red team (Ferrari) and an orange team (McLaren) in particular look very, very competitive."
Asked where Mercedes stood in relation to McLaren and Ferrari, Russell was playing down expectations.
"Certainly not ahead, I'm pretty sure of that," he explained.
"They seem to have things well under control and they look very strong, low fuel and high fuel, and with the tyre management.
"Who knows? We all know that we're on different programmes, but we definitely know from the average of all of the different runs, we're behind them at the moment. Let's wait and see. The championship is not won in Barcelona in winter testing."
Meanwhile, many drivers have been complaining the new cars are suffering from 'porpoising', which is where the car bounces up and down at high speed.
Russell conceded that "it is not very pleasant at all" but said that Mercedes hadn't been badly impacted by the issue.
George Russell at the wheel of the Mercedes during pre-season testing in Spain. Getty
F1 has overhauled the regulations for 2022, with more downforce coming from the underside of the car.
Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto admitted the problem was bigger than expected, and could be a big factor in determining the running order until teams can get it sorted.
"I think most of us at least underestimated the problem, in terms of bouncing more than expected," said Binotto. "When you're setting these cars up with the ground [effect] floor, the situation is different. It's a learning process.
"I think that solving it can be quite straightforward. Optimising the performance… could be a less easy exercise. I am pretty sure that at some stage the team will get to the solution. How long it will take? The ones that will get there sooner will have an advantage at the start of the season."
Day 2 testing times:
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:19.689
2. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1:19.918
3. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:20.288
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:20.537
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 1:20.546
6. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 1:20.784
7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 1:21.430
8. Nikita Mazepin (Haas) 1:21.512
9. Alex Albon (Williams) 1:21.531
10. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo) 1:21.885
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