Mercedes kept falling into a trap, says George Russell: 'This year is different'

“I think in 2022 there were more issues with the car that than first met the eye,” he says. “And everything was dominated by bouncing, and we couldn’t unpick what was bouncing and what were poor characteristics within the car. So it took a good 18 months to solve bouncing.

“Then we recognised we had a bit of a problem with the suspension. We changed the suspension. Then that caused the balance problem. And these things, it does just take time. And I think when something clicks and something works, you sometimes also don’t know quite why that is.

“We went to Vegas last year and dominated. I’d love to tell you exactly why that is. We’ve got some ideas why that could be, but there’s not like a silver bullet saying that is the reason why we were so strong there, and that is the reason we were so weak elsewhere. And I think that’s the case with everyone.

“And even McLaren, prime example, I don’t think even they believed they could find the performance that they did. It’s just all got to work together.

“So as I said, I’m more confident this year that with the work we’ve done on the sim, and we’ve got some really great simulator drivers who are putting in lots of effort. Kimi has been doing some really great work as well. I’m much more confident we’re not going to fall into a trap as we have done in the previous years.”

Mercedes’ new approach

In effect Mercedes is taking a more holistic approach to how a change here or there impacts how the car subsequently performs on various types of track.

“I think the last couple of years, we’ve been so focused on solving the problem, we weren’t looking ahead to what future issues it would cause,” he admits. “It’s like you solve one thing, and then it creates a new problem. So with W16 we’ve been forward thinking much more than we have done in the past.

“And that’s quite normal in the world of aero, when you’re developing in the wind tunnel, but when you’re changing characteristics of the car and how it’s going to handle and how it’s going to feel for us driving it – if you make the front stronger, it’s going to take away from the rear.

“And if you go too far, that’s just as much as of a problem than if it’s in the opposite direction. So I think it’s really being thorough, saying ‘Right, these are the fundamental changes we’re going to make. We think it’s going to do X. Is that going to be a problem at these races? And if so, how are we going to drive around it?’”

Acid test in Bahrain

In that context getting off to a flying start at this week’s Bahrain testing will be crucial for the team, especially as the need to switch focus to 2026 will be a priority for everyone – there simply isn’t the R&D capacity to do any major firefighting and revamp the W16 if it has teething troubles.

“I think within five laps, you know if you’re in for a good season or not,” says Russell. “And we’ve known within the first five laps of the last couple of years that we wouldn’t be fighting for the championship, or at least we knew we wouldn’t be fighting at the beginning of the season. As I said, it’s been much more robust this season.

“But all of the teams are so competitive now, and everybody knows the limitations that they’ve had over these last three years. If we bring the performance that we expect, it should be a good step forward, but we’ve seen it with many other teams. They bring an upgrade, and it doesn’t work. So there’s never guarantees.

“But as a team, we obviously went through such a lull throughout 2023 not winning a race. There was a big restructure change, with James Allison coming back and really been pushing at the helm of the new approach. And I think hopefully we’ll see a bit of that into ’25. Obviously ‘26 is a big one, but still I’m optimistic that we can have a decent season.”

When to switch focus to 2026?

The need to focus on next year’s project will be key to how this year unfolds. Russell suggests that making the best of what you already have, rather than relying on the usual marginal gains found in development, will be crucial.

“I think why it’s going to be so interesting is whoever continues to develop will probably win the championship,” he says. “But you’ll pay the price in 2026. Teams who come out the blocks, and it’s a close battle, they might continue to develop.

“But we also saw it in 2021 I think, with Lewis and Max. Mercedes stopped developing, and somehow they just fine-tuned the car and the set-up and found massive performance in the second half of the year just by unlocking the set-up a little bit more.

“So I think naturally, always in that final year of the regs, it becomes closer.”

Russell’s struggles

Russell is not afraid to admit that he also needs to improve in some areas, and specifically his race form.

“You’ve got to work in tandem with the team, because it is man and machine, and it’s got to work together,” he says. “For the last couple of years, the car’s sort of suited my driving style quite naturally, but I feel I can adapt to whatever is coming my way.

“My qualifying performance last year was my strength. I still felt I had more to bring in the race. And I think these last three years have shown that. I think in ‘22 my outright speed was never questionable, but Lewis probably had the edge of me in the race pace, and then each year I just got stronger and stronger.

“So I’m just looking to hone in on that a little bit more, and I’ve recognised the tracks that I’ve struggled at and that I want to work on. So, small details.”

A new team-mate

The novelty for Russell this year is that with Hamilton gone, he is now the senior driver. No one doubts Antonelli’s speed or the potential for the Italian teenager to have the most spectacular season of any rookie since Lewis himself in 2007. However inevitably Russell’s experience will see the team look to him to influence the direction of development.

“It’s my fourth year with Mercedes, it’s my seventh year in F1,” he says. “Last year was probably my strongest season ever in F1, and I feel I’m just getting stronger year-on-year. So even if things had stayed the same, I felt a huge amount of support from the team.

“But equally the team gave me that support when I joined in ’22, and now with Kimi alongside, Kimi is a super-fast driver, super-motivated. Of course, naturally for any driver in their first year, a lot to learn. But I’m sure it’s going to be a good season together.”

He’s under no illusions about the challenge from Antonelli: “The guys at the front have been through that position, and you’ve got so much confidence in yourself. When I look back to myself when I was Kimi’s age, I don’t think you’re any slower. You just gain experience over time. You know how to deal with the travel of F1, and working with 2000 people.

“But if you’ve got the speed, you’ve got it. And if you don’t, you don’t. It’s almost as simple as that. So I’m sure Kimi is going to keep me on my toes, and we will be pushing each other.”

What sort of positions they will be fighting over will only become apparent at the Bahrain test and over the first few races that follow.

“You can’t put a figure on your expectations,” says Russell. “Because the car could be quick enough to win every race, it could be quick enough to win no races, and you’ve got to adjust those expectations race-by-race.

“I think for sure last year we missed a few opportunities. We led seven races last year, and they that was only possible because of the strengths in qualifying. I definitely felt we could have won probably four races, potentially five.

“But naturally, when the grid is so tight, every single millisecond counts. I think we had four races where I lost out by less than five milliseconds in qualifying. So that that makes it exciting, and that’s what you want to see in the sport.

“And I think things like Q1 in Abu Dhabi last year, when everyone was within half a second, that’s how racing should be. That’s when the pressure gets turned up. And that’s when it’s super exciting.”