Russell: 'I performed at a higher level in 2023 than I did in 2022'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
It was a strange season for George Russell. During the season, the Brit was slightly behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton in most departments. The difference in terms of points and in the final ranking in the championship was relatively large: Hamilton came third, Russell finished only eighth - with 59 points less. Nevertheless, Russell believes he took a step forward as a driver in 2023.
It sounds remarkable. In 2022, Russell took his first and only Grand Prix win, and he says he became a better driver in 2023. "If I took last year and rated it, I would say my performance was a 7/10, results were 9/10. This year I would say, performance 8.5/10, results 4/10," he told ESPN in an interview.
Russell believes results will come eventually
Russell himself says it's "funny" because he feels he has completed better races, with better pace. Only the results fell short. Russell only finished on the podium twice in 2023, the last time at the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi.
The Briton is confident that results will come naturally if he continues to finish his races at a high level: "At the end of the day, we are not fighting for world championship this year and through those lack of results you are continuing to build that toolbox of experience and I know it's only going to make me stronger. So I'm not too concerned that the results haven't been there because the pace is there and if the pace is the results will inevitably come."