George Russell cannot settle for equaling childhood hero Lewis Hamilton’s feat at Mercedes as he claims ‘nobody celebrates a draw’

George Russell is not satisfied with equaling his Qualifying results with teammate Lewis Hamilton as he aims to surpass him.


George Russell cannot settle for equaling childhood hero Lewis Hamilton’s feat at Mercedes as he claims ‘nobody celebrates a draw’

The season of 2023 will go down in history as a mediocre season for Mercedes as the team barely finishes P2 in the constructor’s cup. However, on the bright side, the two British teammates were at par with each other in terms of race stats. George Russell commented over equaling Lewis Hamilton‘s qualifying stats.

Lewis Hamilton is notoriously known for excelling at Qualifying sessions as the Briton holds the world record for the most amount of pole position’s qualifying ever in the history of Formula 1. Despite the past record, Hamilton faced a tough time this season and hence out-qualified his teammate in only 11 occasions.

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Both the British drivers equaled each other in terms of qualifying session at 11 equals. George Russell commented over this feat in an uncertain way. When quizzed on his feelings for matching his childhood hero in terms of qualifying, Russell commented that no one celebrated a draw and did not seem too chipper.

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I don’t really know to be honest. Nobody celebrates a draw, do they?

Russell told Channel 4’s interviewer (H&T: express.co.uk).

Russell further highlighted the challenges in driving the mediocre W14 and commented how either him or Hamilton is always ahead in terms of pace. He also exclaimed how both the drivers are never on the same pace.

But this car is just so challenging to drive and you said we’re 11-all, but we’re never the same pace. Either I’m four or five-tenths ahead, or he’s four or five-tenths ahead of me and that just goes to show how difficult the car is, how difficult the tyres are.

Lewis Hamilton also criticized the disappointing W14

The team’s strategy did not seem to take as bad of a hit like the W14. The car had major issues with downforce and caused uncertainty during high-speed corners. The experienced driver Lewis Hamilton obviously suggested upgrades to the disappointing W14. But to his surprise, the updates were not seen in the car later.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)

Hamilton talked about the car feeling the same on multiple occasions and how it was hard to drive the car. Although the team finished P2 in the constructors, it is not satisfying enough for the seven time dominating ex-world champion. Hence, Toto Wolff has showcased optimism over the development of the W15 for the next season.

The team barely managed to emerge victorious over Ferrari as the two teams had a point disparity of just three points towards the ultimate race of the season. Hence, the team needs to desperately rediscover their old form and start to score better results in the next season. Finally, the season of 2023 is a season of great learning for the Silverstone based team of Mercedes.

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