Hamilton and Russell on the W14: “But if Red Bull have found the same lap time…”

Mercedes conducted an initial shakedown following the launch of their W14 on Wednesday, before Russell and Hamilton got back behind the wheel for a filming day on Thursday. 

Hamilton and Russell both said the run had gone “smoothly” despite online speculation that the team had faced some early gremlins with their brand new car. 

But the British duo are continuing to downplay Mercedes’ expectations ahead of the new campaign following a difficult 2022 season with their troubled W13, while Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominated. 

“If we sit here now and say ‘we will win this or win that’ it would be foolish,” Russell told Sky. 

“I think we can have expectations and hopes of how the car will feel and how the car will perform. 

“But if Red Bull and Ferrari have found the same amount of lap time that we have, we’re in the same position as we were last year. 

“You can’t be naive and think we’ll be right back there [in the title fight] because we just don’t know.”

Mercedes are hoping the all-black W14 can power them back to the front of the grid after slipping behind Red Bull and Ferrari in F1’s pecking order last season. 

Hamilton is looking to bounce back and claim a record-breaking eighth world title after going winless during a season for the first time in his career. 

“This is one of the most exciting periods of time,” Hamilton added. 

“We have a great team of people who have worked hard to make today possible. We have a new car - the most exciting part, it’s like Christmas for the two drivers! We get to use our new toy and see what it’s like.

“I love the black. Last year we were heavy, we were carrying extra weight and baggage which really held us back. The focus this year is to sacrifice the look for performance. It still looks great.

“Every second that we have on track will be critical. We have less time than ever before. From a driver’s perspective - understanding your tool, understanding how your body reacts, how you can work with your tool, the set-up, understand where the issues are so we can fix them as early as possible. 

“Hopefully there aren’t any - but there always are! It’s crucial. It’s crunch time.”