Questions have been asked about whether Mercedes have found an optimal set-up for both qualifying and racing ahead of today’ꦺs F1 Bahrain Gﷺrand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were f🌸requently much stronger in races than in qဣualifying last year.

Russell qualified in P3 for today’s Bahrain Grand Prix with Hamilton P9 (but only half-a-second behind pole-sitter 💦Max Verstappen).

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insisted after qualifying that their W15 was set up to excel in t𓃲he grand prix itself.

“Yes, that’s the noises coming out of them,” Damon Hill reac🌊ted on Sky Sports.

“They focus on race pace.

“This cold weather will be a big part of 🎃[Saturday☂’s] story because it’s not what they were expecting.

“It may be that🔥 you can go onto the hard tyre and push like crazy, because you have to get some heat into it somehow.

“It’s a big wee💃kend for George, with the news that Lewis is going.

“He wants to establi🧔sh himself. He’s got a good qualifying in there.

“The race could be very interesting for him.”

Hamilton did not cut the frustrated figure in Bahrain that was occasionally on show last year after qualifying ওruns.

The seven-time F1 champion was upbeat abo൩ut the W15’s development.

“Yes, that was positive,” Naomi Schiff reacted. “He ended his 𒁃statemen🐷t by saying he hopes to move forward.”

But Schiff noted: “What their issue here has been: after testing, they felt like they♈ had a stronger long run pace.

“They went bac💃k home, put the drivers i🐲n the simulator to find the adjustments to make the car quicker on a one-lap pace.

“So, it seems for the 𒈔moment, th👍at it’s one or the other.

“They don’t seem to have a set-up that works for bo♋th.

“Let’s see whether it pays off.

“He’s got some cars in front of him - Leclerc, Sainz, Perez - ❀a lot of quick cars that he’s got to get past, if he wants to get 𝕴to that podium.”

Hamilton hasn’t won an F1 grand prix sဣince 2021 and this will be his final season with Mercedes before joining Ferrari.

Russell, who outscored Hamilton in 2022 but not in 2023, will benefit from his better Friday by lining up 🔯six places further forwards on the starting grid.