George Russell believes Mercedes maximising opportunities in 2024 puts the team in fine stead to have a shot at the title in Formula 1 should it have the car to do so.
Russell is preparing to begin his first campaign as the senior figure at Mercedes with rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, having been alongside Lewis Hamilton since 2022.
Mercedes is angling to improve on a season which delivered a return to race victories but culminated in the side’s worst championship standing since 2012 in fourth.
But while consistency again evaded the team under the current regulations, Russell has derived optimism from the headline results that Mercedes were able to attain.
The Briton, having triumphed in Austria and Las Vegas, insisted that the German marque capitalised on the rare chances that it had to prevail against its leading rivals.
Russell insists such operational sharpness bodes well if Mercedes’ W15 proves to have a more competitive and predictable baseline than its recalcitrant predecessor.
“I feel really pleased with my own personal performance this year,” Russell, who out-qualified Hamilton 19-5 in 2024, told media including Motorsport Week last December.
“I think in qualifying I’ve been performing better than ever. Whenever the car has had a chance of being on pole, we’ve been on pole. Whenever we’ve had a chance of fighting for the victory, especially since Canada [where Russell went from P1 to P3], I think that was the only race that went amiss, we’ve been in that position to take it.
“That gives me confidence.
“If we build a car that is capable of fighting for a championship, we’ll be there to achieve it,” he continued. “The few opportunities we’ve had this year, we’ve clinched it.
“As a team, we’ve won almost as many races as McLaren, which is crazy to think.”
Russell prepared to go up against Verstappen
Max Verstappen retained the Drivers’ title with two races to spare despite Red Bull’s mid-season decline allowing McLaren to steal the Constructors’ Championship.
The Dutchman claimed he would’ve sealed the deal earlier in McLaren’s MCL38 amid the mistakes that closest rival Lando Norris made in his quest to close the gap.
But while Norris dismissed that claim, Russell all but agreed with Verstappen’s sentiment as he proclaimed that he would have prevailed in his compatriot’s position.
Asked if he would have taken the championship in Norris’ McLaren, Russell replied to the Daily Mail: “Yes, absolutely.”
“The difference [between Verstappen and Norris] is that when Max has had the chance he has won, whereas his rivals who should have beaten him this year did not.
“They [Norris and McLaren] have thrown away a lot of points and therefore Max, who is an exceptional driver, has won the championship early,” he concluded.
READ MORE – Mercedes identifies primary development target for F1 2025
