George Russell was frustrated after another “missed opportunity” at the American GP, where he failed to match the pace of his teammate. The British driver makes clear he will assess why his 2023 campaign consistently faces similar trends.
In Austin, Lewis Hamilton once again established himself as the faster of the Mercedes driver. The gap between the Mercedes pair was relatively sizable throughout the weekend, with only the 7-time Champion capable of challenging Red Bull and Verstappen.
For most of this year, Hamilton has gotten the better of teammate George Russell. Both drivers are quite evenly matched in qualifying, but the 38-year-old’s execution has been consistently better this season.
This is not to say misfortune can’t be identified as a significant factor in Russell’s 2023 campaign. With that said, the 25-year-old is clearly struggling to extract the same performance as the opposite side of the garage.
Russell frustrated
Speaking to the media post-race, he expressed frustrations about how this year is unfolding:
“I think we had a really strange middle stint on the hard tyre. We were about a second off the pace, but in the last stint, we were the quickest car on track,” he told the media
“We closed the gap to Max by about 10 seconds, Lewis by a couple of seconds. Standing here now, a little bit frustrated about the missed opportunity.
“Which is the story of the season. I feel like every time I stand in this TV pen, I’m saying it was a missed opportunity.
“Whereas last year, I think out of 22 or 23 races, there was only one race where I was saying we missed an opportunity.
“Really need to have a think about what’s going on, because it’s not for a lack of pace and performance.”
Mercedes more competitive
It must be said that Mercedes haven’t been at their operational best in 2023. Lap 1 contact in Qatar, sub-optimal strategy in America, and Zandvoort are examples of their more significant blunders.
On a more positive for the Silver Arrows, the most recent updates to the W14 are working. Not only is the Mercedes car faster, but it’s showing more stability and drivability.
Looking ahead to next year, Mercedes are within striking range to contend for victories more consistently.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
