Russell: 'We'll never have the fastest car this year'

Mercedes started the year lagging behind and not looking like the force they had been for the previous eight seasons. The new regulations have killed the team and since the start of the season Mercedes has been struggling to climb out of their misery. The last few races show that Mercedes is on the right track up, but according to Russell it is now too late to come out on top this year.

Mercedes will no longer be faster than the competition this year'

Motorsportweek.com quotes the Brit: "We are definitely closing that gap, no doubt about it, but the four cars ahead of us definitely have a pace advantage. I think as a team we are slowly closing the gap. Hopefully we can add some things to the car after the summer break. But as with every team, this is not going to be very easy."

Ferrari and Red Bull are the strongest teams. Ferrari may have a stronger car than Max Verstappen's team, but the Italians are trailing in both championships due to mistakes and blunders. Although so far only the top two teams have achieved victories in 2022, Russell still thinks Mercedes could join them as the third team: "We still believe we can fight for victories this season, but I don't think we're ever going to have the car that's the fastest."