Mercedes’ season 2023 got off to a rough start, much like 2022. During the first six races, the team only achieved one podium finish. However, after that, the Silver Arrows implemented some significant modifications that improved their performance. With Lewis Hamilton on the podium at the Singapore Grand Prix, the German manufacturers have narrowed their podium placement margin since the summer break. With a substantial boost in points, Mercedes is currently only behind Red Bull in the standings. George Russell attributes this performance boost to a shift in mindset, being inspired by the driver who had previously given Lewis Hamilton trouble. This is as per F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have both been the shining stars of Formula 1. It is well known that Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were teammates at McLaren. Even after 16 years, Hamilton insists that he hasn’t had a teammate as strong as Alonso.
Lewis Hamilton believes that “on pure pace” Fernando Alonso is the toughest rival he’s ever had in his Formula 1 career, while the Spaniard has described his former team-mate as a “legend” 💬
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 12, 2022
In his words to Sky Sports F1, the 38-year-old confessed, “ I always say [my toughest opponent] is Fernando and his ability.” Indirectly, that ability is now helping Russell get the better of Hamilton, or so he says.
How did Lewis Hamilton’s foe Fernando Alonso influence George Russell’s mindset?
George Russell has only finished on the podium once in the 16 races. But on multiple occasions, it felt like the British driver was on the verge of taking the top spot. Despite getting a DNF at the Singapore Grand Prix, the way he raced had the experts praising him.
George Russell was asked this exact query in the latest episode of F1’s Beyond The Grid. He said, “I think there’s small mentality change from my side. How I’m working with my engineers and things. I’m focusing on the setup of the car, the things I’m not focusing on with the setup of the car and just probably enjoying life a bit more.”
Later Russell clarified his claim by attributing the mentality change to Lewis Hamilton’s greatest rival, Fernando Alonso. The 25-year-old revealed that during the summer break, he had listened to Spaniard’s podcast in which the 42-year-old had discussed one aspect of his career he desired to improve.
Making it apparent that this was the key idea that motivated the Mercedes driver to stop taking everything 120% seriously and start having more fun. Russell concluded his comments by saying, “ I’m just in a much happier place. I’m learning new things that I’ve never would have dreamed of doing before.”
George Russell won’t repeat the “mistake” twice
As the conversation continued, the host asked George Russell another question, apparently referring to the same Alonso podcast that Russell had previously mentioned. The host posed the question to the British driver, alluding to Fernando Alonso, who wanted to celebrate the evenings following his title win, but wasn’t ableto.
He asked, “So let’s ask you about Brazil last year. How did you celebrate what are your memories?
Russell explained it and, regrettably, acknowledged that he also had to skip the celebration. The 25-year-old explained and said that since the final race of the season was in Abu Dhabi and the flight had already been scheduled in advance, he couldn’t celebrate as he had desired.
In the end, he admits that in the future when some similar occasion happens he won’t repeat the mistake twice. He said, “I would have loved to have spent the whole night there in Brazil with all of my team and celebrate until you know the sun has risen in the morning but practicality of it was just not not possible But yeah we won’t make that same mistake twice.”
With the surge in the form of Mercedes and George Russell, it remains to be seen when the young Briton will get his career’s second race victory.
