Russell says tough recent seasons were 'almost necessary' for Mercedes

5. As the number of victories won by Mercedes over the last three years. A figure which reflects the difficulties encountered by the team led by Toto wolff at the time of what some called the “aerodynamic revolution” at the dawn of the 2022 season.

Several theories have then been raised such as the battle against Red Bull which continued until the last Grand Prix of the 2021 financial year and which undoubtedly cost development time with a view to 2022. The concept was also chosen with an enormous risk-taking by developing a car “zero pontoons” and then the time spent running behind to make up for lost time, and above all performance.

Mercedes has thus oscillated between good and bad since 2022 and the glimmers of hope have ultimately been rare. The Star has never really been able to compete against Red Bull and Ferrari. In the meantime, McLaren came to settle in the middle and even at the top, winning the Constructors' title last year, completed with a total of 6 victories (4 for Lando Norris and for 2 Oscar piastri). That is 1 more than the Germans… in three years.

Poor performance which probably weighed in the balance of Lewis Hamilton when he had to decide whether to continue or join Ferrari for a new bet. For those who remained on the ship, these turbulent seasons can be summed up as one good for one bad.

« The last few years have not been easy, concedes George Russell. from Sky Sports F1. Of course, we didn't have the success we hoped for, that we wanted... But I think we needed these years to reset, to change our mentality, to start again on new bases for this season but also for the next one which will be very important for each team on the grid. Everyone is focused on doing it properly. Because we know that if we start on the right foot you can stay in front for many years. I'm very enthusiastic. The break has been good but I want to go now! » It remains to find the right balance between thinking about the present – ​​2025 – and the future… 2026. 

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