George Russell believes that the 2023 Formula 1 season has been his most impressive to date in terms of sheer performance. However, he contends that a multitude of missed opportunities has obscured this fact.
Russell’s promotion to the senior Mercedes team last year coincided with the team’s unexpected downturn in performance. Despite this, he responded admirably to Mercedes’ challenges, becoming only the third teammate to outscore Lewis Hamilton and securing his first F1 victory in Brazil.
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This season, Russell has only managed one top-three finish and currently sits in seventh place in the Drivers’ Championship, a considerable 75 points behind Hamilton in third. Nevertheless, Russell argues that his underlying pace has been consistently strong throughout the year, estimating that he has lost “over 60 points” due to driver errors and strategic mishaps.
Reflecting on his performance ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Russell stated, “In terms of pure performance, I feel that this season has been my best ever, but I reckon there’s over 60 points that we’ve lost this season and for a number of different reasons.”
He went on to list specific instances where points were lost, including retirements in Australia and strategy issues in races like Zandvoort, Singapore, Canada, and Monaco.
Russell acknowledges that the early realization that Mercedes wouldn’t be contending for the championship this year may have affected his mindset. He explained, “I don’t know if that’s had an impact on my mentality at all or not. But you know, I can assure you once we’re in the position to fight again for a championship, I’m sure I’ll be back to the ways I know how to fight for a championship.”
Russell’s most recent high-profile mistake occurred in Singapore, where he crashed out from third position on the final lap. He admits that he could have managed the final stint better and potentially secured a better result if he had conserved his tires more effectively.
Overall, Russell remains optimistic about his future prospects and is determined to capitalize on opportunities when Mercedes is back in contention for the championship.
