George Russell, who has been in Formula 1 for three years now, is the first Mercedes junior driver to graduate for the works team.
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George Russell says there is a ‘motivational fire’ within the Mercedes F1 team for success in the 2022 season.
Russell, who has been in F1 for three years, is a Mercedes junior driver. He is also the first junior of the team to have graduated to the full works team.
“Following the conclusion of last year, there is so much motivational fire within the whole factory to bounce back and that is incredible for me to see,” said Russell.
“We just went straight into business on the important bits and bobs to understand the new car; to understand the challenges and to try and prepare as best as possible for the season ahead.
“I’ve spent plenty of days in the factory with the engineers, going through a lot of presentations on what the car looks like.
“Obviously in the simulator, getting to grips with the new car, understanding the limitations and trying to direct the development and where we need to improve.”
Russell also said him joining Mercedes felt more like a homecoming. He has, after all, been part of the team in some capacity for a number of years now.
“Because I spent so much time with the team prior to joining Williams in Formula 1, as a junior driver I feel like I know everybody so well already.
“In a way it feels like returning home to people I have known for such a long time and getting up to speed with how the team operates again, which is something I have really enjoyed.”
Russell also spoke about the new car regulations and how it will impact all the teams. The Brit thinks the new rules will only help teams and it is a massive plus ahead of the new season.
“I see moving teams during this regulation change as a positive in all honesty because we have a completely different car, which is a completely different philosophy to previously different tyres, working with new engineers and I think starting from a completely fresh sheet of paper is beneficial for all.
He also spoke about what would have been the case if he stayed on at Williams.
“I think if I stayed at Williams for this season, there are always things that you have at the back of your mind you learnt on a previous era of cars that will always subconsciously carry through into the future, whereas if you are truly starting from a fresh slate, it can only be beneficial this year.”
The new F1 season gets underway on March 18 at Bahrain.
