Russell sees a motivated Mercedes: 'So much fire to bounce back'

George Russell switched from Williams to Mercedes last winter and now the 23-year-old driver has had his first interview with his new employer. Russell is eager to show everyone how talented he is in the W13. He wants to get the most out of himself and the new car.

Coming home to Mercedes

Russell indicates that it actually feels like coming home to the factory. The past three seasons he raced for Williams, but in his years in Formula 2 and Formula 3, he was already under contract to Mercedes' junior program. Among other things, the Briton tells us that he still knows a lot of people from that period.

According to Russell that is a big advantage, because instead of spending a lot of time getting to know each other, the focus could now directly be on developing and improving the W13. The motivation within the team is certainly not the issue. "Following the conclusion of last year, there is so much motivation and fire in the whole factory to bounce back. That is incredible for me to see."

Getting to know W13

On his first encounter with the 2022 car in the simulator, Russell says, "It's interesting. It's a very different car from the previous era. The characteristics of how the downforce is generated are completely different. We're still learning as we go in, there's still a lot of improvements to be made."

According to Russell, the most important thing is to continue to develop well next season. The Mercedes driver says that it is great to win your first Grand Prix, but because there is still so much to be gained from the 2022 regulations for all the teams, the first hit may not be worth it.