George Russell explains Mercedes’ approach to F1 races in 2023 amidst Max Verstappen’s dominance

Toto Wolff anticipates that Mercedes will perform better in Singapore GP than they did at the Italian GP.

George Russell explains Mercedes’ approach to F1 races in 2023 amidst Max Verstappen’s dominance

George Russell, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

Mercedes has been without a race win since the 2022 Brazilian GP. Their arch-rivals, Red Bull, have claimed 15 consecutive victories since the Abu Dhabi GP last season. Now Mercedes driver George Russell pointed out that amidst Red Bull’s dominance led by Max Verstappen, his team still views each race as a valuable opportunity to secure a win.

Despite initially facing challenges with their zero sidepod concept at the beginning of the season, Mercedes has made a remarkable performance recovery. Currently, Mercedes occupies the second position in the Constructors’ Championship standings with a total of 273 points. They are trailing behind Red Bull, who has maintained their dominance in the Constructors’ Championship with 583 points and the Drivers’ Championship with Max Verstappen leading with 356 points.

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Even though Red Bull has been dominant in Formula 1, George Russell doesn’t view Mercedes’ current season as a failure. While discussing the upcoming Singapore GP, he claimed that Mercedes’ mentality is still approaching every race, hoping for a win.

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“I think last year we had the mentality that Singapore would probably be our only opportunity…. it was a bitter disappointment and there was no expectation going into Brazil and we came away with the victory there. So we treat every race as an opportunity.” said George Russel, as reported by Racingnews365.com.

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Toto Wolff anticipates that Mercedes will perform better in the Singapore GP

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff (Credits: PlanetF1)

Following their initial struggles, Mercedes appeared to be the third-fastest team at Monza. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton secured fifth and sixth-place finishes, respectively. Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff acknowledged that Mercedes maximized their results at Monza with the package they had. 

Wolff emphasized the importance of their performances throughout the rest of the season to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Despite being at a circuit that didn’t particularly favor their car’s characteristics, he noted that they remained competitive.

Ahead of the Singapore GP this weekend, Toto Wolff believes the Marina Bay Street Circuit will be well-suited for their W14. Wolff also claimed that the altered layout might result in a more flowing lap and be easier on the tires.

“It’s encouraging to see that the W14 is performing well across a range of tracks. We’ve had some time to debrief an intense double header and we’re now heading into another one. The battle with our nearest competitors is incredibly close. It’s hard to predict just how the order will shake out each weekend,” said Toto Wolff.

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