George Russell asserts 2023 is his ‘best ever season’ despite Lewis Hamilton eclipsing him

George Russell's best finish so far this season has been only third.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell (Via IMAGO)

Despite trailing his teammate Lewis Hamilton, George Russell deems this his best season yet. Russell, currently eighth in the standings, shares points with Lando Norris in seventh. The Mercedes driver acknowledges missed opportunities that could have placed him higher and pledges to rectify this in upcoming races.

Mercedes and Ferrari fiercely contend for second place behind Red Bull, primarily thanks to Lewis Hamilton’s contributions. George Russell, though, has been eclipsed by Hamilton in 12 of 16 races and secured just one podium at the Spanish GP. Nevertheless, he has consistently matched his seven-time champion teammate in qualifying.

Now, in his second season with the Silver Arrows, there has been an absence of the consistency he exhibited in his debut year. However, speaking with Racing News 365, Russell shared that 2023 is the best-ever season of his career in terms of performance. He said, “In terms of pure performance, I feel that this season has been my best ever.”

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He notes that he lost nearly 60 points for various reasons. The Briton stated, “Australia we had a shot at a podium at the minimum and lost 18 points there [with the engine failure].” He believes that a podium was lost at the rain-marred Zandvroot race. He added, “The podium [in Singapore] was obviously a driver error. We had in Canada, again, another mistake from my side, another 10 points lost there.”

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George Russell promises to minimize the driver errors that cost the team dearly

A potential victory slipped away in Singapore as Russell’s misjudgment led to a collision with the barriers. He also crashed out of the Canadian GP, both races where his teammate stood on the podium. Acknowledging costly errors, he vows to minimize such blunders for improved performance. Russell outlines his aspirations for the current season, stating, “I’ve got an objective and target this year to secure P2 and the Teams’ Championship.”

George Russell at Singapore GP (Credits: Autosport)

Reflecting on the broader context of the team’s performance, Russell acknowledges, “I think it was quite clear this year from the beginning that we weren’t going to be fighting for a championship.” While recognizing the limitations of the team’s championship prospects, he contemplates the potential impact on his mentality.

The 25-year old assures that, upon the team’s resurgence in championship contention, he’ll seamlessly return to the tried-and-true methods and mindset essential for championship-level competition. F1 heads to Qatar next weekend and the team will be counting on their drivers to pull ahead of Ferrari in the standings