George Russell has not had the best season this year in terms of points scored, as he is a whopping 75 points behind Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the championship. Despite the same, the 25-year-old believes that he has been having his best season in terms of his own performance. Instead, Russell has blamed Mercedes for the significant amount of crucial points he has lost this season.
The former Williams driver definitely seems to have fallen down the pecking order this season after he stole the spotlight last year consequently of his impressive performances. With Russell defeating Hamilton by 30 points in their first season as teammates, many believed that he could be a driver to watch out for in the future.
However, Hamilton has come back strongly against Russell this season and has proven why he is no easy driver to beat. With the 25-year-old now finding it difficult to match the seven-time world champion this season, he has blamed Mercedes for not producing a car quick enough.
George Russell blames Mercedes for his struggles
In a recent interview, George Russell began by explaining why in terms of performance, 2023 has been his best season. “In terms of pure performance, I feel that this season has been the best of my life, but I think I have lost more than 60 points, and all for different reasons,” he explained (as quoted by soymotor.com).
The Briton began by pointing out his struggles in Australia. He stated that he had an engine failure in Melbourne that cost him a chance of clinching a podium. He then explained how he almost also clinched a podium at Zandvoort, which he ended up losing because of the rain.
After stating the same, Russell pointed out the two mistakes that he made in Singapore and Canada that resulted in him losing even more crucial points. Russell believes that his performances have been suffering recently because the pace of the W14 has dropped significantly as compared to last year’s Mercedes car.
“This year it was quite clear from the beginning that we were not going to fight for the World Cup, and I honestly don’t know if that has had an impact on my mentality or not. In any case, I can assure you that once we are in a position to fight for a championship again, I will return to the way I know how to fight for a championship,” explained Russell.
As things stand, Mercedes are currently in a fight for second in the championship, as Red Bull have already won the title. The Silver Arrows are currently second and have a 20-point lead over Ferrari with six races remaining in the 2023 season. As for Russell, who has been told to know his place in the team, will now hope to deliver in the remainder of the campaign.
Russell told to know his place in Mercedes against Hamilton
Mercedes simulator driver Anthony Davidson has advised George Russell to know his place in the team. Davidson believes that since Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time world champion, the 25-year-old must understand that he is not the favorite in the “hierarchy“.
Davidson stated, “There’s definitely a hierarchy in that team, and rightly so. You know, Lewis has earned that status in that team as a seven-time world champion, and George can’t argue against that.
After stating the same, the F1 expert explained how the 25-year-old is usually very innocent on the radio. Davidson believes that since Russell knows his place in the team, the young British driver rarely is a “good boy on the radio” and “very British about it“.
