Mercedes reveals the real reason behind George Russell’s 2023 struggles compared to Lewis Hamilton
George Russell has had a tough 2023 F1 campaign so far.
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George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (Credits: IMAGO)
The 2023 F1 season has proved very up and down for the Mercedes F1 team, with them still trying to get on top of the unpredictable behavior of the W14. While Lewis Hamilton has somewhat managed to tame the Brackley-based team’s machinery, George Russell, on the other hand, has found it extremely difficult to deal with it.
George Russell has been unable to match Lewis Hamilton this year and has massively struggled to perform consistently. While the ongoing campaign is currently in its summer break, Toto Wolff and Co. have indicated that they are not too worried about the woes of Russell this year.
While talking about the same, Toto Wolff told Motorsportweek, “These cars are on the knife’s edge. You can quickly fall off it and lose the confidence. On the other side, if you’re within that corridor of sweet spot… having said that, that car [W14] has no sweet spot! But being more in that zone of understanding what it will do next.”
“I think there’s a big difference and you can quickly be in either one of these situations, and obviously it goes against you.” Mercedes’s technical director, Mike Elliot, also added, “George is a fantastic driver so I’m sure he’ll get what he needs to get out of the car fairly quickly.”
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George Russell needs a consistent run in the second leg of 2023
While the Mercedes hierarchy does not blame George Russell for his inconsistent form during the 2023 season, he would need to find a consistent run of performances during the second leg to get his major back. Otherwise, he could be in for a challenging second leg of the ongoing campaign.
As things stand, Russell has only managed 99 points in the season so far compared to Lewis Hamilton, who has managed to put on board 148 in the same number of Formula 1 outings. Moreover, the latter has also managed to score an impressive four podiums for the Toto Wolff-led team.
While George Russell is currently going through a tough season, he has got all the skills in his arsenal to turn his season around. He outperformed Hamilton in 2022, and if he manages to hit the ground running quickly during the upcoming races, he could make his way up on the 2023 drivers standings and get close to his teammate.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)