Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have paid tribute to Mick Schumacher following the German's work on the Mercedes simulator over the Barcelona weekend.

Following Friday's sessions, Hamilton opined that he would struggle to make it into Q3, while teammate Russell was similarly concerned.

However, a strong qualifying performance saw Hamilton put his car fifth on the grid, though his teammate failed to make it into Q3.

Race day witnessed a resurgent German team claim second and third, and while Mercedes admitted that the cooler conditions were hugely beneficial, so too was the input from reserve driver, Mick Schumacher who has spent all Friday night in the team simulator before heading out to Barcelona to join his teammates.

"Friday was a real struggle with the balance, it was way out of the window," admitted Hamilton. "It was very hard to drive, very unpredictable.

"Then we did some great work overnight," he added. "We've got a great team, with Mick back in the simulator on Friday night, and he did some great work, which helped us get on the right track on Saturday."

"The team's done a really, really great job," added Russell. "The work that Mick and the simulator team are doing overnight, they were there well past midnight to help us with the set-up and get it in a good window for the race.

"So, we are making strides in the right direction. We just need to make sure, especially into next year, that we hit the ground running because I think we as a team probably develop faster than anybody else."