Driver George Russell has won the only race for Mercedes since last year. But so far, the Silver Arrows have been winless in 2023. Clearly, the young Mercedes driver has not been at his best in the current season. But Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton has performed exceedingly well as he currently stands at P3.
On the other hand, the Austrian team, Red Bull, had a great collaboration with Honda so far. They have won back-to-back titles, and Max Verstappen is currently the triple-time champion. Now the question arises; how can Mercedes compete with Red Bull, and when? That’s what the fans are wondering about. Albeit, George Russell recently mentioned that Mercedes had the pace to compete with Red Bull in the Qatar Grand Prix. How about that? Keep reading to find out.
George Russell Believes Mercedes Had The Pace To Beat Max In The Qatar GP
Perhaps if the high-stakes clash between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had not happened in the opening lap, the results would have been different. Mercedes could have increased their lead over Ferrari even more. However, due to the clash, Hamilton was out of the race. But George Russell, even after spinning due to the clash, was able to finish at P4. He proved that W14 had a strong pace. However, George Russell cannot understand how Oscar Piastri finished so close to Max Verstappen. But George Russell impressed everybody with his pace and how he managed the tires.
In the post-race interview, Russell said he was faster than McLaren drivers for sure in the Qatar Grand Prix for the longest time in the race. Nevertheless, whatever the result says, George Russell mentioned he has only one goal at present. The 25-year-old Mercedes driver said he wants to help his team secure the P2 finish at the end of the season. They have a good chance to do it if they don’t face any such clashes in the remaining races. Moreover, Mercedes’s boss mentioned that he wouldn’t be part of F1 if he didn’t believe they can’t beat Red Bull in the next two years. Toto Wolff mentioned if Aston Martin and McLaren can improve so much in such a short time, then Mercedes can definitely get back to winning ways. Only time will tell if Toto’s predictions are right or wrong.
Can Lewis Hamilton Finish At P2, Toppling Sergio Perez In 2023?
Russell’s teammate can even try and finish at P2 this year. However, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez is still quite ahead of Hamilton. In the last seven or eight races, McLaren and Ferrari have been closer to Red Bull in terms of pace than Mercedes. Throughout the season, the Brackley team has been suffering because of the car’s speed. They have not quite figured out every detail of the car and where its strengths and weaknesses lie.
Lewis Hamilton mentioned a few weeks ago that he hopes the Brackley team does stellar engineering work in the next six months. Only if Mercedes has to fight for the title in 2024. It is because the German team is still far behind the Milton Keynes team. Especially in terms of the performance they are able to get out of their respective cars. Literally, RB19 is the fastest car on the grid, thanks to Adrian Newey, who designed the car, and Red Bull’s engine partner, Honda.
