Russell: Hamilton reveals the scale of the Mercedes F1 beast

George Russell has said Mercedes is dealing with a “beast” as it continues to battle its W15 rival.

Russell had a strong run at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, rising to sixth place after starting from the pit lane.

The Briton switched to older specification parts after a crash during qualifying, but had good pace during the race and scored points.

“Definitely happy with today, no doubt about it,” Russell said. “Starting from the pit lane, I’m not quite sure what awaits us during the race, especially coming back to the site where we competed in Canada 10 races ago, I think more.

“To be in sixth position ahead of Red Bull was really great. Of course, you always wonder what could have been, but right now we’re dealing with a tricky car.”

Russell had a much stronger weekend than teammate Lewis Hamilton, who was also forced to line up at the back of the field after a tricky qualifying session.

The seven-time world champion’s grand prix lasted just minutes after he spun into the gravel at Turn 19.

Russell insisted Hamilton’s struggles demonstrate the “beast” Mercedes are currently dealing with.

“Lewis (Hamilton) never makes mistakes and you saw (on Sunday) the same thing that happened to me (on Saturday).

“This is the beast we’re dealing with now.”