George Russell fires stern warning to rivals Ferrari and Red Bull after a dismal 2022 season with Mercedes : "I’m here to win"

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell believes that the team has not forgotten how to design a championship-winning car, and that they simply took the wrong approach with the 2022 W13.

Despite finishing fourth in the championship, Russell stated that he is not satisfied with the position and is focused on winning. The Briton said:

"I’m here to win. I’m really excited for 2023. I’m still going to be trying to improve my driving, what I do on and off track, and hopefully we’ve got the car beneath us to fight for the championship."

The 24-year-old also acknowledged that the team is currently a step behind Red Bull and Ferrari, but is confident that they will be able to keep up. George Russell said:

"We are a step behind Red Bull and Ferrari and we’ve got a lot of catching up to do – but we’re definitely going to be in a much stronger position from race one."

Mercedes struggled with the W13 throughout the season, with technical director Andrew Shovlin even stating that it was "bordering on dangerous" at some circuits. Mercedes had to first resolve the porpoising issue before they could develop the car further, which led to a difficult first half of the season.

However, the team improved greatly in the second half of the championship, with Shovlin crediting the drivers for their efforts in working together and sharing the workload.

George Russell also expressed his excitement for the 2023 season and his belief that Mercedes will be in a much stronger position from the start of the race, saying:

"They haven’t forgotten how to build a fast race car. We just got it wrong. We got the philosophy wrong. We went down a route which turned out to be the wrong route. Sometimes it takes you a long time to dig yourself out of that hole. Now I feel we’ve dug ourselves out of that hole and we’re building on top of that."

---

George Russell feels privileged being teammates with Lewis Hamilton

George Russell, who beat Lewis Hamilton in the driver standings last season, also stated that he is "very privileged" to have the seven-time world champion as his teammate. The Briton said:

"It takes some time whenever you join a new team, regardless of who your team-mate is, to embed yourself and gain that trust and confidence within the whole organisation. It’s been a good journey for me, being team-mates with him."

Russell dubbed Hamilton "the greatest of all time."

"He’s the greatest of all time so I’m in a very privileged position to go up directly alongside him but also learn from him."

In addition to the technical changes, the team is also said to have made changes to its strategy and approach to racing. This includes a renewed focus on data analysis and simulation, as well as a renewed emphasis on teamwork and communication between drivers and engineers.

George Russell has also been working on improving his skills both on and off the track and is confident that these changes will lead to a much stronger performance in the upcoming season.