George Russell and Mercedes playing the long game in their bid for 2023 championship

George Russell has said that Mercedes are looking to remain competitive throughout the upcoming 2023 season, rather than focus on winning races from the very beginning of the campaign. The Briton said that while it is really important to win the season's opening race in Bahrain, the team will also be focusing on having "the right car" for later races.

His comments might be an indication that the Silver Arrows might not be at their best at the very start of the season and that they will gradually progress.

"This season is going to be won or lost mid-way to the end of the season, it’s not gonna be won or lost in the first 5 races. So, as much as we want to win next weekend in Bahrain, we know it’s more important that we got the right car come race 6."

Mercedes' 2022 season was one of their worst in a long time. Since 2014, they have been the dominant team on the grid, however, after the regulations changed last year, the team couldn't adapt well. The W13 had many issues, losing their speed on straights due to porpoising. Lewis Hamilton also complained about the drivability of the car.

After a while, it became clear that the team was far from winning the championship for the first time in eight years.

---

Mercedes back for title hopes with the W14

Mercedes' 2023 challenger, the W14, has been hyped for a long time. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the team is hoping to mount a title fight with their new car. A title challenge might sound too optimistic after the issues they faced last season, but as far as pre-season testing is concerned, it looks as though they are competitive enough.

Another fact that adds to the optimism is that the team has had more opportunities to work on the aerodynamics of the car, and since financing is not an issue for them, a title fight might be incoming.

Lewis Hamilton stated earlier that the team would probably be strong enough to battle for the championship. However, they will have to fight Ferrari and Red Bull, both of which had excellent data collected during testing.

The Silver Arrows were nowhere close to winning the championship last season, with Red Bull comfortably winning both the driver's and constructor's titles. Hence, Mercedes will have a lot of competition to win in the upcoming season.