‘It gave me goosebumps as the car fired up,’ George Russell in high spirits ahead of Mercedes’ debut season
Follow Us
George Russell
Mercedes, the team which won all of the Constructors’ Championship in the hybrid era of F1, is all set to conquer the new era of F1, which will begin from the 2022 season. And, for this conquest, the team has brought in the dynamic duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
George Russell, joining Mercedes from the Williams, took the new car, W13, on the track for the first time following the launch. The driver drove the W13 on the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom. The test drive was challenging as the region is currently affected by storm Eunice and is experiencing heavy winds.
The Brackley-based team has recently revealed the challenger for the 2022 season. The W13, revealed in the presence of both the drivers and the team principal, Toto Wolff, is the team’s drive following the regulations introduced in F1 by the FIA from the 2022 season onwards.
George Russell’s goosebumps in the Mercedes W13
As quoted by the GP Fans, the driver said, “It gave me goosebumps as the car was fired up for the first time. I have driven so many laps on the simulator. I have seen so many drawings of it. Had so many meetings on it, but there is nothing like going to a race track. It almost brings me back to my roots, a cold, wet, windy day at Silverstone but here, with Mercedes.”
Speaking on the challenging conditions on Silverstone, the driver said, “I would say it is the windiest day I have ever experienced in the whole of my motorsports career. It was absolutely crazy. The facts are that when you take a car when there is no wind and then you put it in 100kph winds, it is going to feel very difficult to drive. It certainly wasn’t easy out there with the conditions, but it was very much in line with what we saw in the simulator. We will go back and correlate it this afternoon, but it is going to be a constant learning process.”
“We are all going to take this with a pinch of salt, get through the program, and make sure the car runs okay, the drivers are comfortable, and we are in the best spot possible ahead of Barcelona,” concluded Russell.
The pre-season testing is scheduled to take place in Barcelona from 23-25 February. The teams will be looking to make the most of it, before going to Bahrain for another round of testing and finally, the first GP of the season.
ALSO READ: F1 announces mega contract extension for US GP till ‘this’ date
Stay Updated!
Manan Goel
(400 Articles Published)