Mercedes ‘need to improve reliability’ – Russell

George Russell has pinpointed reliability and race starts as key areas Mercedes must address following the Bahrain pre-season test. The Briton acknowledged positives from the W17's performance but expressed concern over recurring issues, notably Andrea Kimi Antonelli's pneumatic problem which limited his running. Russell emphasized that while the car feels good and new power units are fast, reliability setbacks are significant. He also highlighted race starts as a "tallest hurdle," citing his own poor practice starts compared to competitors. Despite praising Red Bull's strong energy deployment, Russell believes Mercedes-powered teams have made drastic improvements, eagerly anticipating the true pecking order at the Australian Grand Prix.