George Russell‘s Williams stint helped him beat Lewis Hamilton, feels Mercedes engineer

George Russell's experience with Williams might have helped him adapt better to a struggling Mercedes 2022 challenger, Mercedes' Andrew Shovlin has claimed.

Russell was able to beat Lewis Hamilton in the 2022 drivers' championship, immediately proving his worth at the Brackley-based team. The team's trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin reckons the Briton's experience with driving a slower car at Williams was a factor in him adapting so quickly at Mercedes.

The Mercedes W13 was riddled with porpoising, causing the team to lose out on the constructors' title for the first time in eight years. Their poor form also spelled bad news for Lewis Hamilton, who was unable to find his footing in the 2022 challenger. Russell was able to score a string of 15 points finishes in the first 16 races, making him one of the most consistent drivers of the year.

The Briton was used to not competing at the top of the field before joining Mercedes, while Hamilton was used to having a fast car beneath his feet - leading to Russell's domination of Hamilton in 2022.

Andrew Shovlin said about George Russell:

"Lewis I think had a rather sort of sudden period of adjustment from a car that he knew that he could if he delivered what he was capable of he'd be fighting for the win at any given weekend. George, having come from Williams, I think his experience there probably put him in good stead to deal with the car we were racing and trying to qualify at the start of the year."

"I think there was an element with George where he was probably hoping the experience would be a bit more different from the one he was used to, but he was very good at just getting on with the challenge that was in front of him."

George Russell claims he can't beat Lewis Hamilton every single session

George Russell outperformed Lewis Hamilton in 2022 but is still realistic about his chances against the F1 legend in the future.

Speaking to The Race about his battle with his teammate, George Russell acknowledged that it would be impossible for him to beat Lewis Hamilton all the time. He said:

"I'm not going to beat him every single session, every qualifying, every race. That's just absolutely not going to happen. But having a year like we've had this year, is almost equivalent to maybe what the 95/5 split was for me previously."

Russell further added:

"I never doubted myself. I always believed in myself. But if you go with the mindset 'I'm going to beat Lewis Hamilton 95 per cent of the time', you're going to come away disappointed."

George Russell also believes approaching every weekend thinking he could beat Hamilton would lead to constant disappointments. However, the 24-year-old reckons that his record of beating his teammate by a small margin was something he could continue to achieve.

Beating Lewis Hamilton in equal machinery is a feat that only a few have managed to do in the past, putting Russell in good company. However, with Mercedes reportedly ready to fight at the top in 2023, it remains to be seen whether the former Williams man can hold his ground.