George Russell dismisses suggestions that upgrades have helped Lewis Hamilton gain upper hand

Mercedes driver George Russell has said that it's just 'pure coincidence' that teammate Lewis Hamilton's performance has improved since the upgrades on the W14.

The German team introduced a slew of major updates to improve the performance of the W14 at the Monaco GP. The results have been instant, as Hamilton has notched up back-to-back podiums in the last two races, while Russell got a P3 in Barcelona.

During the pre-race press conference ahead of the Austrian GP, the Briton said that the upgrades have not favoured Hamilton:

"I think it's pure coincidence. I think it's like he says, very fine margins. I think out of all the teams on the grid we’re statistically the closest of everybody in terms of teammates.

"Lewis is obviously a very strong driver. Yeah, it's funny. I think at the start of last year, I think Lewis was on a higher level than I was, yet I was well ahead of him in the championship. And now this year, I think we're at a very close level and the championships. … I'm 40-odd points behind him.

George Russell continued:

"Ultimately, that's the only thing that matters. We're going into this weekend, and we’ll see what we can do but certainly, the last couple of races haven't been the best run of form for me. But, as I said, history now, and let's see what the upcoming races bring."

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George Russell has moved on from Montreal disappointment

Running in a decent P4, George Russell crashed at the Canadian GP by hiting the wall, squandering his chances of scoring some valuable points.

On how he dealt with the situation, he said:

"I spoke with obviously all of the engineers and mechanics and apologised for the off, but it was simple as that: move on, onto the next race. And yeah, definitely better at dealing with these emotions.

"I think, as a driver, you never want to make mistakes. You never want to fail or lose, but I think these moments make you stronger as a driver, as a human being, and you need those failures to progress."

He added:

"It's history for me now, not even thinking about it, onto this weekend. Won't be my last crash, for sure, it's part and parcel of pushing the boundaries. Obviously, you want to limit it, but it’s just one of those things.

George Russell will look to bounce back in Austria and get a good haul of points to close the gap on his teammate.