Nico Rosberg has seen exactly what George Russell is ‘missing’ compared to Lewis Hamilton

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Nico Rosberg feels the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix exposed George Russell’s weaknesses compared to Lewis Hamilton.

Russell lined up on pole position and held off a soft-shod Hamilton at the start, putting him in a strong position to land his first win since Australia. But Ferrari went in a different strategic direction, switching to a three-stop rather than a two.

And when Fernando Alonso’s retirement brought out a virtual safety car, Hamilton was able to make his final tyre change without losing the lead. The 41-year-old then streaked clear on fresher rubber and ended Mercedes’ perfect start to the season.

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Nico Rosberg wants George Russell to replicate ’10/10′ qualifying on Sundays

While the VSC was fortunate for Hamilton, even Mercedes admit that he likely would have the pace to overtake them and win regardless.

Kimi Antonelli passed Russell for second in the closing stages but slowed soon after, ensuring driver #63 did at least return to the podium after four races away.

For Rosberg, the overarching concern was Russell’s lack of ‘race pace’ compared to Hamilton and Antonelli. It’s a weakness he’s seen from the Mercedes star before.

Did the Barcelona GP earn a perfect 10/10, or was there more you wanted to see?

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Russell has now scored 10 pole positions and leads his Mercedes teammates (Hamilton/Antonelli) 62-36 in the overall head-to-head, but Rosberg wants to see him carry that speed into a Sunday.

“Russell is 10/10 in qualifying and I still have a little bit of doubts on his race pace,” Rosberg said on Sky Sports F1 (14/06, 16:21). “I haven’t really seen the 10/10 for him in racing. That’s again what we saw today, just a little bit missing there.

• READ MORE: George Russell sends instant message to ‘insane’ Lewis Hamilton after first Ferrari win at Barcelona GP

“Lewis was quick, Kimi was a little bit quicker it seemed. George made a big step forward this weekend, but he still needs to find a little bit more I think.”

Russell’s Barcelona result keeps him third in the standings, with the gap to Antonelli down to 50 points. Overturning that deficit looks more realistic, but one could argue that the Italian has been quicker in the races since China.