George Russell P1 and Lewis Hamilton P4, a result Mercedes will relish. But we’re still in FP2 at the moment. However, these are promising signs for the team from Brackley. The FP2 results were an improvement from FP1. And Mercedes will ideally like to build on that in FP3 before the race.
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With almost no porpoising and incredible speed, George and Hamilton could push the car. These are incredible results compared to a poor Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that was just a fortnight ago. The Mercedes is finally getting around the issues with the W13 challenger. And this should show in the race as well, with better results compared to the first four races.
George Russell tops FP2 in Miami, 0.1s clear of Charles Leclerc and 0.2s ahead of Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton.
No time from Verstappen after his brake issue, and Sainz crashed.
Encouraging start to the weekend for Mercedes #F1 #MiamiGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) May 6, 2022
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The Mercedes faithful are in high spirits as well, with the Silver Arrows surprising us all. For Lewis and George, these results with a better-performing car will surely be a confidence booster.
DIVE DEEPER
With a better understanding of the track and the car by the end of FP3, Mercedes will have a better understanding of the changes they’ve made as well. And these changes are important for the team. Because if they work at Miami Grand Prix, they will work for the races to come as well.
Positive Twitter reactions for Mercedes post FP2
The Brackley-based team did something right in the garage after the race at Imola. And the results show. This has gotten F1 Twitter in a frenzy and people are believing again in Mercedes’s quality. Let’s look at some Twitter reactions after the FP2 results.
If anything, this is a preview – the Mercedes with reduced to minimal porpoising is a quick car and able to be right there at the front. The sun will shine on them again.
— Stefan⁴⁴ (@__SteF1) May 6, 2022
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team is excited as well, going by their tweet.
Don’t let this tweet distract you from the fact George Russell just went fastest. 
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 6, 2022
It’s an incredible jump after the disastrous race at Imola. But a lot can go wrong from practice sessions to the race. Although, the Mercedes fandom can’t keep calm, especially on Twitter.
Mercedes are back?
— Matt Gallagher (@MattyWTF1) May 6, 2022
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#MiamiGP 
: Lewis Hamilton post FP2: “It’s just practice, so everyone is doing something different in practice, I don’t think anyone is showing their true pace in practice but, it’s tough out there with these temperatures.”
— deni (@fiagirly) May 7, 2022
The control over the porpoising issue is required for the Mercedes due to showcase the speed of the W13. And the FP2 is a glimpse of the same. With almost no porpoising, the Mercedes might challenge for podiums.
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If Mercedes can unlock the full potential of the W13, and get it competitive enough, Lewis and George possess enough quality to challenge every driver on the grid. With the promising results from FP2, this can soon become the reality.
