Concept change at Mercedes? "We got the philosophy wrong"

After a mediocre 2022 season, George Russell stresses that Mercedes still knows how to build a fast car. In the new season, the Briton expects his team to be in a strong position from the very first race.

Mercedes has had a tough year. The German racing team started the new season with a big gap towards Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. As the season progressed, Mercedes managed to close the gap, but only won one race in the end.

Mercedes comes back stronger in 2023

It was the first win for Russell in his Formula 1 career. The Briton also managed to beat his experienced teammate Lewis Hamilton by a difference of 35 points. Mercedes is confident the remaining problems can be resolved during the winter break.

"They haven't forgotten how to build a fast race car. We just got it wrong this year. We got the philosophy wrong. We went down a route which turned out to be the wrong route," Russell tells the BBC.

The young driver knows that his team still has a lot of overtaking to do to connect with Red Bull and Ferrari, but Russell believes Mercedes can dig themselves out of the hole. "we're definitely going to be in a much stronger position from race one next year than we were this year."