George Russell makes Mercedes vow as F1 rival Lewis Hamilton sent clear threat

George Russell has promised fans that Mercedes will not make the same mistake twice after pursuing the wrong car development direction this year.

Despite producing yet another unimpressive Formula One car, Mercedes managed to finish second in 2023 thanks to Lewis Hamilton’s strong performance and George Russell’s lackluster efforts.

In 2022, the Silver Arrows attempted a risky “zeropod” design, but the vehicle turned out to be significantly slower than those of their competitors. They were determined to extract performance from the design, though, and they continued.

But the first couple of races of 2023 were enough to finally convince them they were barking up the wrong tree with the W14. They switched to a more conventional approach during the season, but the damage had been done.

Team principal Toto Wolff has already said his team is starting essentially from scratch in terms of its W15 design, for the upcoming 2024 season. Lewis Hamilton and Russell hope it will be the car in which they can end their respective winless runs.

The latter insists Mercedes have learned their lesson. “Last year’s was a trickier car to drive. We made some big improvements but what has caught us out this year has stemmed from the winter development,” the Brit said.

“We took the wrong direction. We made some mistakes and that was evident as soon as we hit the track in Bahrain. Going into our third year now, I’m confident we’re not going to make those same mistakes. We’ve got some good gains over this winter we’re finding at the moment. But maybe it’s all relative and we don’t know what our rivals are going to bring.”

For Russell especially, the 2023 campaign was rough. He finished eighth in the standings, some 64 points behind his team-mate. That result represents a significant shift in the dynamic at Mercedes, considering Hamilton had been 35 points adrift of his compatriot at the end of their first campaign together.

And he has made it clear he will not be happy until he has usurped the seven-time world champion as top dog at Mercedes. He said: “No doubt it’s been probably the toughest season I’ve ever had, psychologically. Bouncing back from missed opportunities, missed results, mistakes. I think this is when you push yourself.

“I could comfortably lift my foot off the gas pedal and drive one percent below the limit and I could sit here right now and tell you that I wouldn’t make a single mistake. And probably when I sit through my championship years, I probably wasn’t being pushed as much as I’m pushing myself now.

“I’m not happy with just matching my teammate in qualifying or any other situation; I’m intentionally trying to push myself further and beyond. Alternatively, the previous year, when we had a very even season. I wish to come out on top. And I’m working hard to achieve that.

“I’m relieved that we aren’t competing for a championship this season. Next season will be very different, I’m sure of it. since I am aware of the type of driver I am. I am aware that a single year such as this won’t detract from my previous years of consistency and championship victories. I’m confident that I can get back into that smooth rhythm without much effort.”