George Russell: Mercedes set for 'painful' few weeks as fourth-best F1 team

This statement comes amidst a challenging period for Mercedes as they grapple with maintaining their competitive edge on the Formula 1 circuit.

During the recent race in Miami, Mercedes introduced an updated floor body for their car, but the impact of this change seemed limited. 

Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell faced setbacks in the sprint qualifying session, failing to secure points in the shortened race after being eliminated in Q2.

While both drivers managed to secure spots in the final top-ten shootout during Saturday's qualifying, they found themselves trailing pole-sitter Max Verstappen by eight-tenths of a second. 

The main race offered some respite, with Hamilton securing a respectable P6 finish. 

However, Russell struggled and finished down in P8, shedding light on Mercedes' ongoing challenges this season.

"McLaren qualified P17 and P18 twelve months ago in Miami, and they won, so it shows what is possible when you get things right," said Russell.

"But right now, we don't have things right and need to make changes quickly.

"We do have a few things coming in the short-term but nothing in the short-term that is going to transform us into race winners.

"So it is going to be painful for a few weeks. I think we have to accept that we are the fourth-fastest team.

"The lap-times and the championship don't lie, this is where we are and I think we're fighting for the P5-P8 region week in, week out."