F1 News: George Russell Silences Mercedes Critics As He Jumps To Defend Team

George Russell isn't letting anyone snub his team.

George Russell defends Mercedes' 2023 F1 season, asserting their P2 standing is not a "failure." Despite Red Bull's dominance, Mercedes remains competitive with teams like Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren.

Mercedes' 2023 F1 journey hasn't followed the path of total domination, as some might've anticipated. Instead, the Silver Arrows find themselves tailing the seemingly invincible Red Bull, who have secured an awe-inspiring 12 out of 12 race wins so far. Max Verstappen, Red Bull's champion driver, has clinched the last eight victories consecutively, and will be looking for his 9th this weekend. 

George Russell's Take On Mercedes' 2023 Performance 

George Russell has argued against critics of the Brackley team, who have said the team is a "failure". 

“As a team we’ve gone from strength to strength,” he argued. “There were a lot of expectations of us, going into the season. Perhaps that’s why people are calling our season a bit of a failure. Of course, it’s far from where we want it to be, because we want to be fighting for championships.

“But to call P2 in the championship, 50 points ahead of P3, a failure? It’s far from a reality. We know that we’ve got a lot to improve. In the second half of the season, hopefully we can be there to pick up any pieces.

“You never know. Last year we had the mentality that Singapore would be our only opportunity to win

“When we didn’t win there was disappointment and no expectation going into Brazil, but we came away with the victory there.” 

The Competition: Where Mercedes Stands 

Mercedes might be secure in P2, but their car hasn't been as consistent as Russell and Lewis Hamilton would like. Despite this, they've been faster than Ferrari throughout the season, but are now facing a challenge from both McLaren and Aston Martin. 

“It’s close between us, Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren,” Russell continued. “We’re consistently there fighting between the second and third fastest teams.

“Our team have done an amazing job to maximise points.

“I’m not going to say we’re the second fastest team, but we’re in a strong position to secure P2.”