F1 Driver George Russell is in the middle of his first stint with the Mercedes racing team after moving from Williams in the 2022 season. The Silver Arrows have dominated motorsport for the past decade, winning eight constructors\’ and seven drivers\’ world championships. They are a leading manufacturer, and moving to Mercedes was a setup for the British driver. Russell made his F1 debut with Williams during one of the toughest periods for the Grove-based outfit.
After lagging behind due to the lack of performance in 2019, Williams found themselves fighting for their existence the next season. Not just that, they were fighting bankruptcy in the COVID-affected 2020. The management changed in 2021, and that was the time when Russell finally got the big break. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hired him to replace Valtteri Bottas and join Lewis Hamilton.
George Russell has been impressive so far during a tough season for Mercedes. The Brackley-based outfit found themselves lacking pace and fighting off the porpoising troubles during the first half of 2022. Despite all the troubles at Mercedes, Russell showed great determination by securing five podiums and the team\’s first pole in Hungary. He has also secured more championship points than this seven-time world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton.
George is currently in fourth place with 158 points, while Hamilton is in the sixth position with 146 points in the drivers\’ standings. The 24-year-old has shown that he is a world-class driver and recently talked about his experience joining a massive team like Mercedes after spending three seasons with the family outfit Williams.
George Russell Is Enjoying His Time With Mercedes
George Russell saw the difference between Williams and a well-oiled manufacturer outfit Mercedes, home to 2000 racing heads. Russell shared that the spirit of his former team was immense. Everyone worked really hard and was passionate through Russell\’s time at Williams. The only problem was that they were going through a tough phase.
After two tough seasons, Williams was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2021, and they paid a heavy price by losing the company. The company had to be sold, and the buyout came from the US investors Darilton Capital. After that, the former Williams driver reckoned the team was back to the rise and would need some time to fine-tune everything.
Talking about Mercedes, Russell said that Toto Wolff had been at the helm of the team\’s success. George Russell felt the cultured Mercedes is a well-oiled machine running perfectly on all cylinders. Moreover, joining the German outfit was a reminder of their greatness and the level at which they operate. Russell was inspired by seeing the 2000 Mercedes employees completely dedicated to making fast cars. He added, \”The priority is racing, racing, and racing, and they just want to win. It\’s pretty special.\”
George even mentioned that the team had so many key personalities who have been since the Honda days and attainted success with the Brawn GP team in 2009. However, Russell pointed out that a lot of new and fresh energy was coming in and bringing great things to the team.