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

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

Lewis Hamilton finish😼ed sixth, and George Russell 🌺eighth, behind a McLaren, two Ferraris and two Red Bulls.

“They are going to be looking at McLaren’s step forward,” F1 Explains podcast presenter Christian Hewgill told the F1 Nation pod༒cast.

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

“The scrap was: that Red Bull was tricky on its bala𒆙nce.

“McLaren swooped in and picked up that scrap. [Mꦉercedes]𝓡 want that to be them…

“They are n🌟ot even behind the people who are picking up the scraps!

“I still think they will go away and say: ‘Two cars into Q3, bit more 🔯solidly into the points, but we’re not on the podium or winningꦍ’.

“I sense a real air oꦇf disappointment around that team this season.

“Every year we come into preseason testing and thཧink ‘tꦇhey will roar back’ but it doesn’t happen.”

The 🐓W15 - which promised much as a step forward compa🐻red to the bleak cars of the past two years - has not yet delivered.

“George a🃏nd Lewis have said in the past it is even inconsistent lap to lap,” Hewgill continued.

“How it handles into one particular turn, at one particular track, c𒊎an differ from one lap to the next.

“They seꦡem unable to get to grips with it consistently. They will be disappointed.”

Hamilton’s weekend was🧸 most notable for a battle with H🎐aas’ Kevin Magnussen.

Magnussen’s admission that he was driving ta♕ctically to help his teammate score points drew a respectful reaction from✨ Hamilton.

“They are often ♌nice to eaღch 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 l✅et someone overtake you as iꦦt’s best not to ruin your tyres.

“So it was 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 used the word ‘rubbish’.

“What Lewis loves doing is dominating a race from the fro♔nt and showing eve♚ryone 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 𒅌🏅loved that.

“He loved🌼 battling Nico Hulkenberg. At Turn 11 he was like ‘we will either have an aircraft-style crash or I will get by…’

“He enjoyed Kevin Magnussen’s integrity too, of admi💖tting he played a tactical gꦫame.

“Lewis 𒈔wants to win championships and races butไ he was loving the situation he was in.”