George Russell: “Things are definitely heading in the right direction”

Since the major improvements in Barcelona, the Mercedes team has continued to make progress and gain performance. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are satisfied with gradually closing the gap with Red Bull and aiming for victory. However, in Canada, George Russell initially hit the wall before having to retire towards the end of the Grand Prix, tarnishing Mercedes’ positive momentum. On Red Bull’s home turf, he hopes to find a good rhythm.

The direction taken is the right one according to Russell.

Since several Grand Prix, the trend has reversed for Mercedes. After a challenging 2022 season and a slow start to 2023, the team has fully returned to the forefront of the scene starting from Barcelona. The new developments on the W14 are working, and very well indeed. The car’s philosophy seems to be right, and Toto Wolff’s team will continue on this momentum for the rest of the year.

(I) “I think that by going from Barcelona, which was probably a track that suited us perfectly, to Canada, a completely opposite circuit, and seeing that we still had a good pace, that we were fighting with the Astons and that Max didn’t seem too far away either, things are definitely going in the right direction,” said Russell at the Thursday press conference.

Furthermore, the Briton congratulates his team on the work accomplished over several weeks, which allows them to slowly catch up to Red Bull. “A sprint race is never easy, but I think as a team, we are making very good progress,” he stated.

The Red Bull Ring should suit the Mercedes

Canada was not really supposed to be a benchmark for Mercedes. However, the Gilles Villeneuve circuit worked very well for Mercedes. In Austria, George Russell stated that the track should even better suit Mercedes’ philosophy. « I think it will suit us better than Montreal. I think Silverstone will be a step in the right direction, closer to Barcelona. But as I said, you know, we are developing very, very well right now. The team in Brackley and here are doing an exceptional job of improving what we have and trying to reduce the gap », he stressed.

According to Russell, the gap is narrowing with Red Bull.

In Canada, the gaps between Red Bull and the others were less significant. Is it due to the circuit’s characteristics or are there real gaps? Austria should give us an answer. But for Russell, it’s certain that Mercedes is closing the gap more and more, and that Red Bull is also bringing fewer improvements. I mean, to some extent, it feels like they’re getting closer to us. I think when you look at the average compared to the whole field, for some reason, it seems like Red Bull took a small step back, said the British driver.

However, despite this reality, Red Bull still has a significant lead and is not likely to give up the victory easily. It is the others who will have to work even harder to catch up with the Austrian team. Moreover, George Russell congratulates them on their work. “When they had a three-length lead, they now have two,” he said. “So they still have a lot of margin. I was told recently, about half an hour ago, that they have won the last 17 out of 18 races, so they are currently riding high. They are doing a great job. But I hope that we will soon be able to reverse the trend,” he declared in a press conference.

Regardless, Mercedes has arguments to put forward at the Red Bull Ring. But it’s not just Mercedes who will seek to dethrone Red Bull. Aston Martin and Ferrari will also want to add their two cents.

This year, the dynamic will be different, with the weather potentially being present throughout the weekend, and with only one practice session. I am looking forward to starting, concluded George Russell.