Russell: I’m here to fight for the win

George Russell’s performance this season is certainly commendable, suffice it to say the 24-year-old British Mercedes driver opened the scoring for pole positions and wins, scoring more points than seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

However, he is not inclined to overestimate his own achievements, although fourth in the championship is his best result in four years of Formula 1.

“We are still a step behind Red Bull and Ferrari and there is still a lot to come back to,” George told the BBC Radio Norfolk podcast. “We have to keep working to reach a higher level. But it is clear that next year, from the very first race, we will be in a stronger position.

You see, I’m in Formula 1 for the long haul and while I’d like to fight for wins and claim the title more often in 2022, I believe the difficulties our team had to overcome were much better prepared for all the awaits in the coming years. Hopefully ten years from now, looking back at the events of 2022, I think it was a good season.”

Russell also stressed that he really enjoyed working with Lewis Hamilton: “When you come to a new team, you need some time to deal with the team, no matter who your partner is. First you have to gain the trust of the team, people have to have faith in you and your abilities.

In the end, we all want to win. You need to share your opinion with the team on what needs to be done to move forward, how to increase the speed of the car. Learning from Lewis was very interesting and helpful, I learned a lot from him, because he is the greatest racer of all time.

I am in a very privileged position to work on professional development by comparing my results directly with Lewis’s. And after this season, I don’t feel any particular pride, because I finished 4th in the personal standings of the championship, and I’m here to fight for victories.