Mercedes’ woes at not even bei𝓡ng the team to “pick up scraps” from Red Bull have been debated.

A rare off-day from F1’s domina🗹nt team last weekend at the Miami Grand Prix enabled McLaren’s Lando Norris to win his first-ꦿever race.

Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, and George Russell eighth, behiꦺnd a McLaren, two Ferraris and two Red Bulls.

“They are going to be looking at McLaren’s step forward,” F1 Explains podcast pr𒁏esenter Christ𒀰ian Hewgill told the F1 Nation podcast.

“You’ve got to pick up on scraps when you’re in an era of 🐷Red 🐈Bull domination.

“The s🉐crap was: that Red Bull was tricky on its balance.

“McLarꦐen swooped in and picked up that scrap. [Meဣrcedes] want that to be them…

“They are not even beh💝ind the people who are picking up the scraps!

“I still think they will go away and say: ‘T🐼wo cars into Q3, bit more solidly into the points, but we’re not on t🌄he podium or winning’.

“I sense a real air of disappoi𓂃ntment around that team this season.

“Every year we come into preseason testing and think ‘they will roar back’ but it doesn’t ha🏅ppen.”

The W15 - which ꧙promised much as a step forward compared to the bleak cars of the past two years - has not yet delivered.

“George and Lewis have 📖said inꦕ the past it is even inconsistent lap to lap,” Hewgill continued.

“How it handles into one particular turn, at one p📖ar♉ticular track, can differ from one lap to the next.

“They seem unable to get to grips with it consistently. They will ꦓbe disappointed.”

Hamilton’s weekend was most notable 𒆙for a battle with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.

Magnussen’s admission that he ✱was driving tactically to help his teammate score points drew a respectful reaction from Hamilton.

“They are often nice🔯 to each other in this paddock but I enjoyed them going at it hammer and tong,” Hewgill said.

“We’re in an era where sometimes it’s best to let someone overtake 🍰you as it’s best not to ruin your tyres.

“So it wౠas fantastic to see them battling. I🙈 enjoyed seeing Lewis do that.”

F1.com Editor Greg Stuart said: “I don’t think the team would deny that it was an off-colour performance. George u𝕴sed the word ‘♛rubbish’.

“What Lewis loves doing is dꦑominating a race from the front and showing everyone that ﷽he’s the GOAT, he’s the best.

“But he also loves telling stories of karting of having the cheapest, used🦄 tyres and beating rivals. He loved that.

“He loved battling Nico Hulkenberg. At Turn 11 he was like ‘we will either have anꦑ aircraft-s🌊tyle crash or I will get by…’

“He enjoyed Kevin Magnussen’s in♏tegrity ꧂too, of admitting he played a tactical game.

“Lewis wants to win championships and rac🍎es but he was loving 🐻the situation he was in.”