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The 2023 F1 season was not the best year for George Russell. The Mercedes driver stepped into the season on the back of an impressive 2022 season. He debuted for the German team, secured his first pole position, and won and outscored teammate Lewis Hamilton as well in that season.
The 2023 F1 season was supposed to see George Russell take the next step in the sport. He was expected to show a more mature and consistent side of his game this season. More importantly, he would have been hoping to build on the form that saw him beat Lewis Hamilton last season.
As the 2023 season ended, George Russell bookmarked it with an impressive podium finish that secured Mercedes P3 in the championship. Having said that, the race was more of an anomaly than the norm for the Mercedes driver this season.
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George Russell ended the season with only two podiums. What if we told you that there were as many as eight podiums on the table that the Mercedes driver lost this season either due to his errors or because of his bad luck? Let's take a look at Russell's season from hell as the driver was humbled after a brilliant run last season.
George Russell's missed podiums this season
#1 Australia
The race in Australia saw George Russell qualify on the front row and get into the lead of the race early on. From that point onwards, while it would not have been much of a surprise to see Max Verstappen make his way through and win the race, one can't say the same about Russell losing his place to teammate Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
Unfortunately for him, pitting under the safety car and then the expiring power unit ruined what could have been his first podium of the season.
#2 Monaco
With some very impressive strategic maneuvering, George Russell found himself in P3 in Monaco as everyone pitted for intermediates in the race. The driver had not had the performance of his teammate all weekend but with the aid of Mercedes timing his pitstop perfectly, he was in a perfect position to secure a podium.
Unfortunately, the cold tires on his Mercedes meant he locked up and went straight on at Mirabeau which allowed both Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton to jump ahead of him.
#3 Canada
This one is a little iffy because George Russell was not in a podium position when something went wrong but he was fighting for a podium. He was in P4 and chasing Fernando Alonso in P3 when he hit the wall and damaged his rear suspension. Could a podium have been a possibility? Yes.
If Mercedes had tried to undercut Alonso it was surely a possibility and hence a possible podium was lost once again.
#4 Silverstone
At Silverstone, George Russell had put together an impressive season and done everything right from the start to the point that a late-race safety car turned everything on its head.
The interruption helped his teammate Lewis Hamilton jump him and even gave track position to Oscar Piastri. Post that, the Mercedes driver couldn't do much and had to settle for a podium-less home race.
#5 Dutch
This one comes down to the driver and the team as well because George Russell had been in impressive form all weekend. He had qualified in the top 3 while teammate Lewis Hamilton was not even in the top 10. With rain falling early in the race, Russell took the initiative and jumped Norris.
Unfortunately for him, the gamble by him and his team of staying out worked against them. From fighting at the front, the driver was right at the back of the field and could only try and put together a salvage job.
#6 Singapore
This one was a bit more dramatic and a bit grave when it comes to mistakes made by drivers. George Russell had once again put together a splendid race weekend where he had a strong pace and completely had the measure of his teammate.
In the last few laps of the race, he was trying to hunt down Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz to secure the first win for Mercedes this season. On the very last lap, Russell hit the wall, broke his car's suspension and that was the end of it. This saw him throw away 15 points that could have been his.
#7 Qatar
This one was entirely on Russell's teammate Lewis Hamilton as the two Mercedes drivers came together. Looking at how George was dead last at one stage and still managed to make his way through the field, adding to the fact that he started the race in P2, it was surely a missed podium for the driver.
#8 Las Vegas
The final one was in Las Vegas where George Russell had a collision with Max Verstappen. While there is certainly a possibility that the Mercedes driver would have been pipped by Sergio Perez later in the race, the incident and the subsequent penalty ruled him out of the battle completely.
