Russell admits he expected to have a win at this stage of the season

While George Russell has had a very solid start to the championship, the Briton admits that before the first race, he expected to have already achieved a victory at this stage of the season.

Published on 07/06/2022 à 12:59

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Russell admits he expected to have a win at this stage of the season

George Russell expected more success this season © DPPI

On arriving at Mercedes, George Russell had high hopes of success from this 2022 season. The German team, dominant for 8 years in Formula 1, had given a lot of optimism to the Briton, in search of a first victory. But the W13 is not as efficient as its predecessors, and the new Mercedes driver has still not cleared his account, despite two podiums.

George Russell still had a very good start to the season, with seven finishes in the top 5 in seven races. But he admits that when the championship launched, he expected a victory at the start of the season. “I think if you had told me before the season that we would have seven races and I wouldn't have a win under my belt, I definitely would have been a little disappointed. But I think given the pace of the car and what we did as a team, I was happy with my performance. I think the results were maximized. »

Russell 'wants to fight for the championship'

With a Mercedes that is difficult to drive and not yet in the rhythm of the Ferrari et Red Bull ahead, Russell believes he has managed to optimize each Grand Prix. Despite the gap with the two top teams, the positive nature of the Briton takes over. “I don't see many races where we could have achieved better results, but we certainly have room for improvement. You constantly strive to do better when you understand the car, the tires, better. And, you know, I want to fight for this championship. »

In the world championship standings, George Russell is currently 4th with 84 points. It stands at 41 units of Max Verstappen. Not such a big gap when you know how quickly things can turn upside down.

Mercedes can count on its experience and the excellent reliability of the W13 to return to the forefront. Two elements which maintain the Englishman's hopes in the title race. “We have to compete against people like Max at Red Bull and obviously Charles is doing extremely good additional work at the moment with Ferrari. But as a team we just have to keep pushing and I have to keep working personally. There is more to come…”

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