F1 News: George Russell uninterested in Hamilton comparisons - "I'm not going to celebrate finishing P4"

Russell is fully focused on a championship.

George Russell is uninterested in comparisons with his teammate - Lewis Hamilton - and is instead focused on fighting for an F1 Championship. 

The 24-year-old's first year at Mercedes was highly impressive, as Russell managed to exceed expectations and hold his own against a 7-time World Champion. 

Despite the inconsistencies and generally disappointing performance of the W13, Russell was successful in stringing together very consistent results - especially early in the season.

Russell's victory in Brazil showcased his speed and maturity, as he controlled the race in convincing fashion from start to finish. 

Whilst Hamilton still enjoys a small - albeit significant - edge in overall pace, the #63 machine was a near-constant source of points in an otherwise unpredictable year for Mercedes. 

When asked by Sky Sports to discuss his 2022 campaign, George Russell was very candid in his analysis:

"Obviously, I would take the positives away from the season, but I'm not going to celebrate finishing P4 in the championship. 

"I'm going to celebrate winning the race in Brazil because that was a huge achievement for myself and the whole team. 

"But the fact is, we're all here to win and we're here to win world championships. So we've not done a perfect job this season. 

"We've had a relatively clean and smooth season with the car and package we've had.

"But to the standards this team set, some standards I set myself... it's not good enough."

Mercedes made reasonable improvements throughout 2022, closing the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari in the second half of the year. 

That said, the Abu Dhabi GP served as a reminder that the Silver Arrows will need to work diligently over winter to make up the gap.

Irrespective of how competitive Mercedes' 2023 package is, there is clearly an immense hunger amongst George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to return to the front.