Questions have been asked about whether Mercedes have found an optimal sᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤🦩⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚet-up for both qualifying and racing ahead of today’s F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were freque💦ntly📖 much stronger in races than in qualifying last year.

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

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insistꦆed after qualifying t♓hat their W15 was set up to excel in the grand prix itself.

“Yes, that’s the noises coming🙈 out of them,” Damon Hill reacted 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 c👍an go onto the hard tyre and push like crazy, because you have t🃏o get some heat into it somehow.

“It’s a big weekend for George, with the news that Lewis ෴is going.

“He wants to establish himself. He’s got♔ a good qualif♏ying 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 runs.

🥃The seven-time F1 champion was upbeatಌ about the W15’s development.

“Yes, that was positive,” Naomi Schiff reacted. “He ended hi𒈔s statement by sayওing he hopes to move forward.”

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

“They went back home, put the drivers in the simulator ꧃to find the adjustments to make the🎐 car quicker on a one-lap pace.

“So, it seems for the moment, tha🌼t it’s one or the other.

“T🎐hey don’t seem to have a set-up that works for both.

“Let’s see whether it pays off.

“He’s got some cars in front of him - Leclerc, Sainz, Perez - a lot of quick ca🦩rs that he’s got to get past, if he wants to get t෴o that podium.”

Hamilton hasn’t won an F1 grand prix since 2021 and this wi꧃ll 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 plac♔es🐼 further forwards on the starting grid.