Russell: 'Not going to walk away from season with huge amounts of pride'

George Russell eagerly made the switch to Mercedes this calendar year, but he managed to do little with his new team in 2022. After a difficult first half of the season, the German formation fought back somewhat. However, according to Russell, that was insufficient to be satisfied, he told the BBC.

While Mercedes were busy fixing porpoising in the first months of last season, Russell put in an excellent period. In the first nine race weekends, he finished no lower than fifth position, bringing in important points for Mercedes.

His teammate Lewis Hamilton got off to a lesser start and finished below Russell in the World Championship at the end of the race year. Although the talented Briton is proud that he was able to do so in his first year, he believes Mercedes and he should demand more.

Indeed, Russell hopes to compete for the world title next season. For that, however, a lot has to happen, as Red Bull Racing's car still has a substantial lead over the competition. "I'm not going to walk away from this season with huge amounts of pride because I finished fourth in the championship. We still need to keep raising the bar," Russell told the British medium.