Vowles: It’s important that George Russell adapted quickly

James Woles. the chief strategist at Mercedes praised the work of George Russell in 2022, when the Briton spent his debut season for this team.

James Vowles: “It goes without saying that George has done a great job this year. He has to compete against the best racers in the world, and they set very high standards.

It was clear from the start of the season that we had problems with the car. Lewis Hamilton used all his wealth of experience in this situation to somehow help the team improve the W13 and move forward. George was mainly busy with his studies during this period and tried to work with the team as best as possible, but at the same time showed good results.

I think Russell was at a partner level in qualifying speed and showed excellent pace in races all year round. That was important to us: for him to adapt to the team, to feel comfortable in this atmosphere, to work well with Lewis and everyone else.

I think we all think he’s done a great job this year because after Williams he’s taken a big step forward, and while things are going well in this team, we still work a little bit differently at Mercedes. But I think George adapted very well and did it very quickly.

Of the 22 races of the season, Vowles singles out the US Grand Prix: “For me, the best race of the season was probably Austin. We’ve prepared a significant series of updates for the US stage, and this was the culmination of the work we’ve been doing for months.

Last season learning was the most important thing for us, and those technical innovations were a reflection of everything we learned during the year. And while we weren’t leaders in Austin, the foundation we laid then allowed us to win the race in Brazil and do well in Mexico before that.

All of the above will help us prepare for 2023 as it is the result of the work of thousands of team members. At the base of the team in Brackley it is clear that everyone has a real fighting spirit. Everyone wants Mercedes back in the lead and we are constantly showing the world and other championship teams that we know how to win races.

In the winter we will have the opportunity to progress and try to catch up with the leaders, although we do not know how things will develop. Many teams work hard to perform the same tasks that we do. Every day we aim to play at least one thousandth of a second, and we’re in a pretty good position here.

We have been helped by the experience and knowledge we have gained over the past season, and the most important thing I feel now is a shared, passionate desire to win, for which everyone is ready to give their all.”