For George Russell, 2022 was quite a significant year. The Briton managed to beat his experienced teammate Lewis Hamilton and claimed Mercedes’s sole race win of the season in his first year with the team.
Russell also finished in the top 5 for 19 of the 22 races of the season, providing Mercedes with a steady flow of points. It made Russell a standout driver to look out for in the coming season.
But despite winning the first race of his F1 career and impressing everyone in his rookie year, Russell believes he could have delivered more. The Brit feels he let go of another win which would have made a big difference in the standings for Mercedes.
Also Read: George Russell Drops Huge Advice to Mick Schumacher Before Settling With Mercedes F1 Team
George Russell feels he could have won in Mexico
George Russell claims that Mercedes brought key upgrades to improve the car’s performance ahead of the US Grand Prix. Hamilton and Russell finished 2nd and 5th, respectively, but there was a positive momentum after the race.
Russell claims that Mercedes worked on their strategies better. They could have won another race. “After Austin, Brazil and Mexico were the only two tracks that suited our car. And I believe we could have won in Mexico.”
High downforce tracks generally suited the W13 better, says Russell. Additionally, both ways have a variety of sweeping corners, so the car need not rely solely on straight-line speed. But things didn’t go as per plan in Mexico City.
“tyre choice was not correct” FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT, 4 MONTHS LATER BUT IT’S FINE pic.twitter.com/q3eqv9H7Ws
— bi ☀️ (@biazzarro) February 12, 2023
He added, “I made a poor start, the tyre choice was not correct. Had we started on the medium and then to the soft, I think we could have won the race.”
With Mexican Grand Prix being held at an altitude of 2240 Metres, there is also less drag due to less air pressure. Russell claims the W13 was losing speed due to the car’s drag, and it was impossible to match the speeds of the Red Bulls.
Russell finished 4th in that race and in the driver’s standings. While Mercedes settled for P3 in the Constructor’s standings, the win would have made a big difference in the final score of both the driver and the team.
Also Read: George Russell Doesn’t Think Beating Lewis Hamilton in 2022 Was Worth It
Russell claims the W13 was an “uncomfortable beast”
George Russell’s performances look even more impressive if you consider the W13’s poor start to the season. Russell and Hamilton struggled to find pace in the car and were rattled with porpoising for much of the early part of the season.
Hamilton called it the most unpredictable he had driven and compared it with a rattlesnake. While Russell described the W13 as “very, very tricky to drive.” However, transitioning from Williams helped him a bit.
GEORGE RUSSELL WINS THE SAO PAULO GP 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/S5OGcsWqis
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 13, 2022
He shared, “I spent 3 years with Williams and that wasn’t an easy car to drive. So perhaps the transition for me was that it felt quite similar in terms of its pace and performance.”
Russell added, “We knew when the car was good and the conditions suited us. And the car was totally transformed. And sometimes it was uncomfortable to drive. And with porpoising, it was an uncomfortable beast.”
Russell and Lewis will return with Mercedes for the 2023 season. The Silver Arrows will reveal their 2023 challenger, the W14, on Wednesday, 15 February, from Silverstone.
Also Read: George Russell Reveals Why He Considers W11 as ‘Peak’ Mercedes Car
