Mercedes’ woes at 𝔉not even being the team to “pick up scraps” from Red Bull have been debated.

A rare off-day from F1’s dominaꦏnt team last weekend a🔯t the Miami Grand Prix enabled McLaren’s Lando Norris to win his first-ever race.

Lewis Hamilton finisꦡhed 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 podcast.

“You’ve got to pick up on scraps whe♍n you’re 🍨in an era of Red Bull domination.

“The scrap was: that Red Bull was tricky on i🌠ts 🤪balance.

“McLaren 𒈔swooped in and picked up that scrap. [Mercedes] want♌ that to be them…

“They are not even behind the people who are pickiꦉng 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 winning’.

“I sense a real a𒐪ir o𒈔f disappointment around that team this season.

“Every year we come into preseason testing an🤡d think ‘they wil♓l roar back’ but it doesn’t happen.”

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

“George and 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, can difꦍfer from one lap to the next.

“They seem unable to get to grips with it consistently. They wiꦺll be disappointed.”

Hamilton’s weeke💝nd was most notable f🐓or 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 ha✨mmer 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 was fantastic to see them battling. I enjoye🐭d 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’.

“W🦩hat Lewis loves doing is dominating 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 b🅷eating rivals. He loved that.

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

“He enjoyed Kevin Magnussen’s integrity too, of admitting he played a tactica꧋l game.

“Lewis wants to win championships an💦d races but he was loving🍰 the situation he was in.”