Mercedes driver George Russell was impressive last season when he debuted for the team. He won the only race for the Silver Arrows in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Moreover, in his debut season for the Silver Arrows, the 25-year-old driver was able to beat Lewis Hamilton. Even the most successful driver on the grid previously said that his new, younger teammate had nothing to lose last season. Lewis Hamilton believes if George Russell had not beaten him, the fans and experts would say, “Okay, it is alright, he lost to the seven-time champion.” But the fact is Russell was able to beat Hamilton.
Lewis also acknowledged that the fans can call Russell a legend now. But in the current season, the seven-time world champion has performed better than his younger teammate. After 14 races, Lewis Hamilton managed to get only four podium finishes. On the other hand, George Russell has managed only a single podium that he gained in the Spanish Grand Prix. However, the 25-year-old Mercedes driver blamed the W14 car for his poor performance this season.
George Russell Believes The Car’s Trade-Offs Impact The Performances
Recently, in an interview with the media, George Russell mentioned that they are always looking for the best trade-offs with the cars of the current generation. Adding to that, the 25-year-old driver of the Brackley team revealed that most of the cars of the current lot come with maximum downforce that runs really low to the floor. Hence, the drivers have to run these cars really stiffly as well as aggressively. As a result, it has adverse effects on the driver as well as the car’s compliance, and it goes vice versa as well.
Russell further explained that usually, a driver needs a soft car that helps him get more drivability around the curb. But as a side effect, it costs the downforce. Hence he feels the F1 Motorsport is pretty fluid. The journey from Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix has been challenging. Mercedes went to Zandvoort with the three hardest tire compounds on a circuit with high downforce. But the team traveled to Italy on a circuit with the lowest downforce along with the three softest tire compounds.
The Young Mercedes Driver Feels Mercedes Is On The Right Track
The young Russell believes they have to adapt and learn as quickly as they can. According to him, Mercedes is approaching things in a little different way. Albeit, they have not reinvented the wheels or anything yet. But the 25-year-old Mercedes driver feels the team is on the right path. He wants to believe that they are on the right track. And that’s a good thing because if someone believes in something, they can achieve it.
Russell claims that Mercedes has been looking forward to chasing only in a single direction. They thought it would pay off, but the result did not go according to their plans. Hence, there is no guarantee that they have fixed the problems they were facing earlier. However, now the German team has clarity and knows how to react to these issues.
