George Russell had a promising start with the Mercedes team last season. He won the only race for the Silver Arrows the previous year. Otherwise, due to the porpoising issues, the German team had an awful season. As a result, fans did not really expect Russell to beat Lewis Hamilton in his first year with the team. On top of that, nobody really expected Hamilton to have a winless season ever. Hence, the 2022 season was pretty shocking for the whole Mercedes team.
But it was a success for the 25-year-old driver on a personal level. After all, George Russell was coming from an impressive journey with the Williams team. Moreover, the only Mercedes driver to win a race since last year, George Russell, is having a terrible time in 2023. Recently, Russell called the current season a disaster on a personal level. But he aims to make sure Mercedes ends this season at P2.
George Russell Calls The 2023 Season A Disaster On A Personal Level But Aims To Help Mercedes Secure P2
Last year, Mercedes lost the P2 spot to Ferrari. Even this season, the Italian team has bounced back pretty strong. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz broke the winning streak of Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Since then, Ferrari is closing the gap with Mercedes and might soon snatch the P2 place from the Silver Arrows. That’s why George Russell told Sky Sports F1 about his plan to help his team get a P2 finish for the constructor’s championship. Red Bull has already won the title. Hence, there will be a tough fight between Ferrari and Mercedes for second place.
The German team is only 20 points ahead at present. On the other hand, Max Verstappen will clinch the Driver’s championship in the Qatar Grand Prix if he wins the next two races. But Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton can still finish at P3. Perhaps even a P2 finish is up for grabs if Hamilton can beat Sergio Perez in the end. But it is already too late for George Russell. The young Mercedes driver knows those statistics. Hence, he only aims to help his team finish at P2.
Was It A Good Idea To Replace Bottas With Russell?
George Russell replaced Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes team. Moreover, Bottas has been very successful with the team and really helped Hamilton enjoy a winning streak from 2017 to 2020. Recently, Lewis Hamilton revealed he did not want Valtteri Bottas to leave. But the arrival of George Russell in the Brackley team last year marked a new era for the team. Clearly, it has not been an era the team is really proud of so far.
It’s a terrible time to drive for Mercedes when they can’t get the car in the right direction. Moreover, Mercedes engineers believe they need more data from the W14 car to understand what they must change. Only then can they build the 2024 Mercedes W15 into perfection. But the Mercedes team still aims to win at least one race this season. The initial reaction was, “W14 is better than W13.” However, the Silver Arrows won at least one race last season with W13.