“Spirit at Williams was immense but Mercedes is like a well oiled machine”- George Russell reveals difference in environment between his former team and Silver Arrows

George Russell joined Mercedes in 2022 after spending the first three seasons of his F1 career with Williams. 

Williams are one of the most successful teams in F1 history, and it was there that Russell made his F1 debut. In spite of joining them on the back of a Title winning 2018 F2 campaign, success eluded the Brit in his early days.

He wasn’t able to earn a single point in his first two seasons at Williams. This was particularly because the cars were not competitive enough, and he spent most of the time at the back of the grid. 2021 provided some change in fortunes, and he even managed to earn his first podium with the team in Spa that year.

However, come 2022, the 24-year old made a long awaited move to Mercedes. There, he is partnered with Lewis Hamilton and he has impressed everyone with his consistency so far.

Williams aren’t the strong name they once were, whereas Mercedes are coming of the back of an eight year era of dominance. Russell revealed that the mentality and environment at these two teams are very different.

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George Russell highlights difference between Mercedes and Williams

During the latest episode of Beyond The Grid podcast, the Mercedes driver talked about the difference between Williams and his current team. He praised the former for being incredibly spirited, and lauded how hard they work for the Williams name.

“The spirit at Williams was immense,” he said. “Everybody there worked so hard. They were so passionate and they loved Williams.”

“But throughout my time, it was going through a difficult period. And of course now, through the sale of the company, the takeover. And now the change in ownership. That really is a team on the up and it really takes time to refine everything.”

Meanwhile, he talks about Mercedes as a sort of a ‘winning machine’. The Brackley based outfit have won eight consecutive Constructors’ Titles, with Toto Wolff leading them. This winning mentality shows in their daily work at the factory, Russell insisted.

“At a team like Mercedes, they’ve had so much success,” Russell continued. Toto’s been at the helm for so long and the culture is sort of ingrained within everyone here. It’s like a well oiled machine working on all cylinders always and, I knew how talented everyone on this team was.”

The 2022 season continues with Russell’s home race this weekend at Silverstone, with the 2022 British GP taking place.

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