George Russell happy to have “maximized the number of points” at the start of the season

All signals are green for George Russell. Author of a remarkable start to the season, with seven finishes in the top 5 in seven Grand Prix, the Briton has adapted well to the Mercedes. He even declared that he was a little disappointed not to have won a race yet, the young 24-year-old driver draws a positive result from the first third of the championship. 

At a press conference on Friday morning, ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, George Russell returned to this statement. “We have to look at things rationally. We can't be disappointed that we didn't win a race this season with the car we had," admitted pilot No. 63. “We're still in a development phase, and I think we've optimized what we can, we've maximized the number of points that were available to take. We have to do this in a positive way and try to continue our momentum. When we have a fast car, we will be able to fight for victories. »

Russell is in “a privileged position” alongside Hamilton

From a more personal point of view, George Russell believes that he is having a good start to the season so far. Despite a Mercedes that is difficult to understand and drive, the Briton's experience at Williams between 2019 and 2021 was useful for taming the W13. With two podiums to his credit in 7 Grands Prix, the Briton is happy but knows that there is still potential. “There is still room for improvement in certain areas. (…) In terms of results for me, it was pretty good. I don't think we could have accomplished more when I look at our start to the season. »

The ex-Williams driver also impresses with his consistency and his rapid adaptation to Mercedes. He even surpasses his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the championship. The seven-time world champion is relegated 34 points behind the young English talent before the Grand Prix in Baku. For Russell, working alongside such a driver is a source of inspiration. “I'm in a privileged position to be Lewis' teammate, I learn a lot from him: how he works, how he communicates with the engineers, how he motivates the team. It's very inspiring to see. Also, from a technical point of view, it is very impressive. »

In Azerbaijan, the Mercedes driver will look to finish an 8th event in the top 5. In the championship, Russell leads with 84 units, 41 points behind the leader Max Verstappen.

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