Ahead of Lewis Hamilton so far in the 2022 season, George Russell believes in a completely different heptachampion when Mercedes offers possibilities to fight for victory
Even though Mercedes is no longer fighting for the title in George Russell's first season with the team, there is no denying that the Briton has come on strong with the German team. Prepared to be a teammate of the driver who has won six of the last eight World Championships, the #63 has arrived with everything and is currently ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the standings. However, Russell believes that the seven-time champion would be totally different if the W13 offered the chance to fight for victories.
"If you had told me that before the season started, I would have been very pleased and obviously would have accepted," Russell told English portal Sky Sports. "Overall, if you finish ahead of Lewis [Hamilton], you've probably won the race or pretty much secured the podium. But I know how capable and great Lewis is. And I know that once we get the car, I know he will be a completely different beast," he pointed out.
Russell said that the results are not so much in regards to the level of driving, but rather the testing that Mercedes has been doing to try to solve some of the problems found in the 2022 car. The Brit explained that the team's focus has been on understanding the single-seater to be able to improve it, and garage competitiveness takes a back seat.
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"We're very fixated on trying to solve those problems," Russell admitted. "We're not really worried about trying to maximize the weekends and focus on our driving, because there are too many other problems to think about. So, as I said: once we have a good car, the real Lewis Hamilton will be there to fight at the front," he repeated.
Finally, Russell was asked if the car Mercedes brought this year - with virtually no sidepods, a different design from the others - can still offer the chance to win. The Briton answered affirmatively, but acknowledged the team's difficulty in making progress in this process.
"Yes, without a doubt," he stated. "I don't think we're a million miles away from that. But it's complicated. We're trying on every lap thrown, every session, different things on the car and we just have to put all that information together. For every track you go to, a slightly different problem comes up," he lamented.
"Obviously, we have a drastically different concept than others," he acknowledged. "Do we need to think this is the right one? Do we need to try something different? We believe that what we have offers the maximum potential, but there are no guarantees," he finished.