George Russell admits that matching Lewis Hamilton would not leave him satisfied as he bids to bounce back from the “toughest season” of his whole career in 2023.
Having spent three seasons with Williams at the back of the grid, Russell was promoted to Mercedes last year and became only the third team-mate to ever outscore Hamilton.
Amid a tough campaign for Mercedes under Formula 1’s new regulations, Russell landed the team’s sole pole position and race victory of 2022 in Hungary and Brazil respectively.
However, Hamilton regained the upper hand on his less experienced partner the past season, winding up 59 points and five places above Russell in the Drivers’ Championship.
Russell, who only achieved two podiums, lamented mistakes and misfortune costing him an estimated “60 points” over the course of his sophomore season with Mercedes.
But the Briton has warned that he’s prepared to go to extreme lengths to rebound from his challenging year, and he has pinpointed inflicting a defeat on Hamilton as his target.
“No doubt, it’s been probably the toughest season I’ve ever had psychologically,” Russell told Motor Sport Magazine.
“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 a per cent 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 purposely trying to push myself further and beyond, and I’m not satisfied with just being on par with my team-mate in qualifying or whatever it may be.
“Or [2022 when] we were very even across the whole season. I want to be ahead. And that’s what I’m pushing myself for.”
Despite pipping Ferrari to second place in the standings, Mercedes ended an F1 campaign winless for the first time since 2011 and a substantial 454 points adrift of Red Bull.
Russell, however, is optimistic that the Brackley squad’s choice to pursue a new car concept for next season will ensure it begins 2024 from a more competitive standpoint.
“I think we’re taking a clean slate into next year’s car,” he addressed in Abu Dhabi. “I think that the positive is we’re not scratching our heads why we’re so far behind Red Bull.
“We see so many flaws with this car, which gives every single person back at the factory so much motivation and fire to chase after those problems and find those solutions, which we think will make a good step into next year.
“But, of course, I expect Red Bull to make a step again. But I’ve got no doubt, come Bahrain, we’ll be in a stronger position than we were in Bahrain this year.”
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