George Russell issues warning to Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso with ‘more performance in the locker’ comment
George Russell believes that Mercedes can climb back up the pecking order over the course of the 2023 season.
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Max Verstappen, George Russel, Fernando Alonso
Mercedes dominated F1 for several years in the turbo hybrid era. However, the rule changes brought in 2022 put the German squad on the back foot. Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have continued to struggle in the 2023 F1 season as well. The Silver Arrows have fallen down to being the fourth fastest on the grid. Yet, Russell believes that the Brackley team still has something left in store.
The 25-year-old acknowledged the team’s efforts over the winter. He said, “We definitely made a step in the right direction.” Although the one-time Grand Prix winner accepted the fact that Mercedes needs to change its design philosophy to get closer to rivals. George Russell said, “I think, above all, we just truly maximised the potential of the car.”
The British driver was satisfied with a decent qualifying result in Saudi Arabia. George explained, “We had a really strong qualifying, which was really enjoyable.” The 25-year-old was glad to score 12 points on Sunday considering it was the most the car was capable of. George Russell continued, “I was really pleased to come home in P4 on the road because I felt like that was the maximum that was possible.”
Russell further warned his competitors as the Silver Arrows work extensively on improving the car. George Russell stated, “The car was feeling good. And we know we’ve got some more performance in the locker in some races to come.” This could potentially be a spanner in the works for the likes of Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso who have capitalized on Mercedes’s sluggish performance.
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“We’re not going to rush,” George Russell on the development of the Mercedes W14
The British driver mentioned that the first updates on the W14 would potentially arrive at the Emilia Romagna GP. Although, this could change as per the situation. George Russell said, “Maybe Imola time, Perhaps you can bring it a bit earlier, but I guess you’re always a bit wary to bring things to a street track.” Russell understood the need for the team to look over all options for the car. He stated, “We just need to weigh up the options.”
The 25-year-old admitted that the Toto Wolff-led team will not take any paths without absolute confidence in the design. As the Silver Arrows learn from its current setbacks. George Russell continued, “With the mistakes we’ve made we’re not going to rush to bring things forward, unless we’re absolutely 120% sure it’s the right one.” He even expressed his desire to win a few races by the end of the season.
Thus, George Russell has faith in the Mercedes team for regaining its place up the pecking order. The Brackley-based team is working on new design concepts for its car. Team Principal Toto Wolff has publicly stated that the team is already witnessing massive gains back at the factory. However, it remains to be seen when these gains are seen on track with Mercedes drivers eager to get back to winning ways again.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)