"If anyone can, Mercedes can" – George Russell eager to battle Ferrari and Red Bull after 2022 F1 Australian GP

George Russell has reiterated that Mercedes are going to continue fighting to try and regain all the lost ground to the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull after the 2022 F1 Australian GP.

The Briton capitalized on Max Verstappen's misfortune when the world champion was forced to retire from the race. George Russell managed to hold onto P3 after the Dutchman's departure and crossed the line to claim his best result yet with the Silver Arrows.

After the race, George Russell admitted Mercedes will need some time before they can challenge Ferrari and Red Bull for wins. He, however, also felt that if anyone could claw the deficit back, it would be Mercedes. In a conversation with former F1 driver Mark Webber in parc fermé, the 24-year-old said:

“We’re never going to give up. You know, we’re going to keep on fighting and this weekend, we were a long way behind our rivals but here we are standing on the podium. So, we’ve got to keep this up while we’re on the back foot and I’m sure we’ll get there after a few more races. I think it’s going to take some time till we can fight these boys in red and blue. They look pretty exceptional, but if anyone can, Mercedes can.”

Russell is currently in P2 in the World Drivers' Championship Standings with 37 points. Leader Charles Leclerc is 34 points ahead on 71.

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Mercedes working around the clock to catch up to Ferrari and Red Bull, confirms George Russell

George Russell has confirmed Mercedes are working non-stop to try and make their W13 competitive again in comparison to Ferrari and Red Bull after a difficult start to the 2022 F1 season.

Speaking in an interview before the 2022 F1 Australian GP, the Briton applauded the team for all their hard work despite having limited time on their hands. He said:

“Everybody is working day and night to find a solution as soon as possible. We are a bit time-limited because the only time we can test is during an FP1 or FP2 session. Equally, you have to focus on the race weekend and we only have two hours’ worth of practice on a Friday per race weekend. It’s not long.”

Russell joined Mercedes to take the place of current Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas. The Briton went on to add, saying:

“Even if it goes all the way into the summer break, you’ve got so many races after that. If we continue to maximize our points and damage limitation to be within touching distance, if we come out and suddenly resolve all our issues and we are the team to beat, there’s no reason why we can’t overturn the deficit. We all have excitement that a solution can be found.”

Mercedes could bring a new update to their car in time for the 2022 F1 Emilia Romagna GP in Imola or the first-ever Miami GP after that.