George Russell feels his top-5 finish at every race so far in 2022 season is 'a meaningless stat’

George Russell believes his streak of finishing in the top-5 in every race in 2022 is a 'meaningless' statistic. Speaking ahead of the Spanish GP, the Briton downplayed the numbers only to clinch his second podium of the season at the weekend in Barcelona and continue the streak.

When asked about his consistency in the 2022 season, the Mercedes driver replied:

“That’s all we’re going for, we’re not going for the championship this year, just top five every race, obviously, so it’s a meaningless stat. There’s only one that matters and that’s the championship order. And obviously good to stay consistent but the Ferrari and Red Bulls are sort of clawing away from us at the moment and we need to find some more lap time and find some more pace to try and turn that around.”

The Briton has continued his unique statistics of consistent top-5 finishes in every race so far in the 2022 season. As a result, George Russell is currently fourth in the driver’s championship. Whether it has been in a struggling W13 or an improved one, Mercedes’ newest recruit has delivered and almost regularly outshone his veteran teammate Lewis Hamilton.

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George Russell tried everything to hold off Max Verstappen in the Spanish GP

Speaking after the Spanish GP in a team debrief, George Russell was elated by his podium finish. The Briton felt he tried his best to keep Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at bay in the race. While the Dutchman had DRS problems, the only chance he had to overtake the Mercedes driver was without using it in a classic on-track battle. In his battle with Perez, the Mexican prevailed over the Briton as Red Bull had a quicker car. Commenting after the race, the Briton admitted to enjoying a wheel-to-wheel battle with the reigning champion.

Describing his battle with the Red Bulls, the Mercedes driver said:

“I gave it everything I could to hold Max [Verstappen] off, they were some enjoyable laps! With the Red Bulls in my mirrors, I was trying to get absolutely everything out of the car to keep them behind. It was very difficult last few laps, a real survival race when we knew we had the gap to manage. Thanks to all the fans out here in Barcelona - they’ve been amazing all weekend! The support for Formula 1 at the moment is in a great place, so it’s great to be here.”

Post-race, George Russell revealed that the W13 had improved in Barcelona after the upgrades, and that he expected more progress in the upcoming races.