F1 News: George Russell – “I Can Beat Anybody On This Grid”
George Russell is confident that he has what it takes to outclass any competitor on the F1 grid. This proclamation comes against a backdrop of the Mercedes W14’s unpredictable performance in the ongoing season.
Russell was asked by the media at the British Grand Prix, probing into his handling of the W14’s unpredictable behaviour this season.
In response, Russell stated:
“I think it’s important sometimes not to overthink things, go back to basics, and work on the processes with the team.
“What I need as a driver to maximise my performance, what I’m looking for with the car.
“Just not overthink things sometimes. I know that if I tick all those boxes, I can beat anybody on this grid and I think it’s important that you do tick those boxes – we often fall into a trap of wanting to do more, and work on finer details, work even harder.
“And sometimes you overcomplicate things and it’s counterproductive, so it’s striking that right balance because I’m always striving for more, pursuing more but, sometimes, you can’t overwork, and it’s gonna hinder your performance.”
As the 2023 F1 season is drawing closer to its summer break, teams are starting to speculate about their developmental strategies for their 2024 cars. Nevertheless, Russell doesn’t seem bothered about other teams like Ferrari and Aston Martin potentially gaining an advantage by allocating their resources earlier.
While the 2024 regulations present a minor revision of the 2023 rules, which are themselves an evolution of the 2022 ground effect regulations, Russell is optimistic. He doesn’t believe that Mercedes’ focus on the 2023 car would put them in a disadvantageous position.
The British racer said:
“No, not really, because I think with the stable regulations between this year and next year, the cars kind of roll into next season anyway.
“Obviously, in the season of 2021 when you’ve got this new big change, there were concerns in regards to that. This year, we will finish the season with a car that has been an evolution into the following year.”
