Mercedes F1's Resurgence Bolsters Russell's Confidence

George Russell’s optimism peaks as Mercedes F1 shows strong late-season form, boosting his championship aspirations.

Mercedes F1 has clinched three of the last four races, achieving a one-two finish at Spa this weekend before George Russell’s disqualification. The British driver remains vigilant, stressing the need to keep an eye on rivals such as Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull.

“The competition was really intense. I’m not sure what the final gaps were, but it felt like the pace between myself, Lewis, Oscar, and the Red Bulls, and Charles as well, was very, very close, which was a real surprise to everyone. So, it’s going to be a real battle,” Russell stated.

Mercedes dominated Sunday’s race after a disastrous Friday. Russell was questioned on what his team did to turn things around: “We changed a lot in the car. We have many aspects we can tweak.”

“I think we got our window wrong on Friday. We obviously took a step back because we wanted to eliminate that possibility. But I have no doubt that at Zandvoort, we’ll revert to the new aerodynamic package and put the car in a slightly different mechanical window.”

Russell believes temperatures played a part in Mercedes’ progress: “I really need to look into it because this season has been quite strange since we were slightly off the pace in Austria and Barcelona.”

“We didn’t have the answers at that time. And when the pace was exceptionally quick in Montreal and at Silverstone, we had some ideas about the reasons for this speed, but not to such an extent.”

“So, we think there’s a correlation with the temperature. Obviously, it’s not the hottest here. There was some cloud cover, so I think that’s probably still the correlation we’re seeing.”

The team is back in the forefront, and Russell is eager for the second part of the season at this level: “I think for all of us, these two years have been challenging to get the car to a level that allows us to consistently fight for wins.”

“But I’m so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, leading into 2025. Looking at the current competition, there’s no reason why we can’t be in the fight. And if the season had started in Montreal, the championship standings would be very, very different.”

“So, it’s going to be great. There’s so much, I think there’s so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves. So, it’s certainly not going to be easy. And, you know, I hope we’ll have a good fight on our hands next year.”