George Russell is inarguably one of the most talented young drivers on the grid, tipped to win a world championship in the coming years. However, during his second season with Mercedes, the majorly hyped Briton’s journey took a brutal turn for the worse. After keeping his record-breaking teammate Lewis Hamilton at bay in 2022, Russell had a hard time replicating the narrative in 2023.
The teammate battles were almost predictable, as Hamilton was clearly dominating with solid performances. And ultimately, the seven-time world champion accumulated a whopping 234 points as opposed to Russell’s meager 175. To make it worse for Russell, the young Briton only managed to secure an underwhelming P8 in the driver’s standings behind the likes of Ferrari, McLaren, and even Aston Martin.
Lewis Hamilton ⚔️ George Russell #ViaF1 #F1PL pic.twitter.com/76MDE9pjJS
— Marcin Dymidiuk (@dymidiuk) December 24, 2023
But, here’s the big question! Will 2024 have a surprise in store for the entire motorsport community? As a matter of fact, there could be. In a recent interview, Russell clarified his approach for the forthcoming Formula 1 campaign, and it’s not all good news for the Knighted British racing legend. After yielding to Hamilton in 2023, Russell acknowledged wanting to give all it takes to finish above his teammate.
George Russell’s message for Lewis Hamilton ahead of 2024 F1 season
As reported by Motorsport Week, Russell opened up about his target for 2024. The Briton reckoned that he wouldn’t be satisfied with just equaling Hamilton’s performance, but rather superseding it by a significant margin. And this could very much hinder Hamilton’s sole ambition to carry Mercedes all the way to the top of the pecking order again.
“No doubt, it’s been probably the toughest season I’ve ever had psychologically,” he told Motorsport 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 teammate 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.”
Overall, Russell has indirectly teased a repeat of 2016 for Mercedes. But, will Toto Wolff risk taking his current driver pair to such a hostile situation? Or, will the Austrian seek team orders?