George Russell believes that the path Mercedes has taken is the one that will see them relive previous successes in the future. The W14 shows promise that must turn into results beyond lap times.
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It has been a tough season for Mercedes so far. The loss of Lewis Hamilton and team-members such as Loic Serra and Jérôme d’Ambrosio to Ferrari have set the team off on the wrong foot. The W14 is also not up to speed, delivering only one Sprint Race podium in China for Hamilton.
Despite these challenges, George Russell believes that the path Mercedes is on is the ‘right one.’
Speaking at the Canadian Grand Prix, the British driver was honest about the team’s future. He said, “When it’s going to translate into results, I don’t know, it’s definitely translated into lap time.”
With competition at the top of the grid picking up, it remains unseen whether Mercedes is improving enough. Recent races have seen McLaren and Ferrari close the gap to Red Bull. A Lando Norris win in Miami and a Charles Leclerc win in Monaco bode well for future battles on track. These are battles that Mercedes may not be a part of.
Russell shares this sentiment: “It’s pretty competitive [out there] now and there’s going to be one or two attempts between the top 14 because it doesn’t take a lot to be able to jump three, four, five, bases.”
‘You need to set your own goals’
Mercedes’ speed shown during FP1 or FP2 does not translate to qualifying or the Sunday race, which must be tough for its drivers. When asked about his mental perspective, Russell noted that “If I was a bit younger and I had sort of less experience in my belt, I’d be finding this situation extremely difficult.”
He has come to appreciate his experience. Speaking candidly, he shared what he has learnt from his time at Williams and Mercedes respectively, ‘I’ve kind of learned that you need to set your own goals.
‘If you achieve these goals, even if it’s not a victory or a podium but you fulfilled your goal, you’ve achieved what the maximum of the car is capable of, you’ve got to take that as a victory.’
Image Credit: Mercedes
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