George Russell reveals his strengths and weaknesses amid social media abuse

George Russell recently spoke about how he has been dealing with the pressure that comes with being on social media. Being an F1 driver in a top team like Mercedes can be hard since millions of eyeballs are on you, on and off the track.

The Briton opened up about his mental health in relation to social media. Speaking on the High Performance podcast, George Russell said:

"It absolutely challenges your mental health so much. You’ve got to be so resilient to the negativity in this world, whether it’s the public perception, whether it’s social media, whether it’s the pressures of the team or even the pressures of yourself."

"But I think, the biggest one probably for me, is that public perception, the social media side, which is a tough one. I think that’s also relatable to people who aren’t in the spotlight because social media is a pretty ruthless platform.”

The Mercedes driver also delved deep into his weaknesses and strengths in general. George Russell spoke about how he occasionally blames others after an intense on-track moment and does not look at himself first.

This weakness could be seen during the race at Imola back in 2021 when he clashed with Valtteri Bottas and blamed the Finn. Russel said:

"I’d say my biggest weakness is probably, in the heat of the moment, blaming others before looking at myself. I think it’s very easy to have tunnel vision, especially in the heat of battle. If something goes wrong, goes against you, I think it’s quite easy to jump on to that other person.”

He also highlighted the importance of being dynamic and adapting to changes as F1 drivers race in all kinds of conditions and climates. George Russell said:

"I think, probably being dynamic to a situation. Our life is constantly changing, whether it’s travel plans, whether it’s racing on track – one day is dry, one day it’s wet. Climates are changing, conditions are changing, time zones are changing."

"You can’t have a strict routine in the sport that we do. You’ve got to be dynamic, you’ve got to accept that things will change."

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George Russell believes Mercedes will come back stronger in 2023

Speaking to the BBC, George Russell addressed how Mercedes struggled in the 2022 F1 season and admitted that the team took the wrong route and had to re-access themselves. However, he believes that the team is still strong and can bounce back in 2023.

George Russell said:

"They haven't forgotten how to build a fast race car. We just got it wrong this year. We got the philosophy wrong. We went down a route that turned out to be the wrong route."

"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 next year than we were this year."

Since Red Bull and Ferrari have taken massive strides in the right direction during 2022, it won't be smooth sailing for the Silver Arrows. However, their driver line-up and their overall work ethic is anything but weak.