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George Russell has been a great addition to the Mercedes team. The young driver spent his debut year with the team putting together consistent performances. So much so that he ended up outscoring Lewis Hamilton.
Russell will be in his second year at Mercedes in the new season. He's now an experienced driver that knows the do's and don'ts of being in a front-running team.
After the kind of season he's had in 2022, George Russell commands such a level of respect within the team that whatever he says will be given its due. Heading into the 2023 F1 season, he's not the blue-eyed youngster that is stepping into a front-running team for the first time.
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The 24-year-old is a race winner with a pole position under his belt as well. However, when it comes to contenders that could challenge for the title, Russell's name is not mentioned in the same breath as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, or even Charles Leclerc.
In his second season at Mercedes, can George Russell be the world champion for Mercedes? There are reasons to believe that might not be the case. Let's take a look at three reasons why.
#1 The Max Verstappen-Red Bull combo is becoming a juggernaut
At this point in the F1 ecosystem, the Max Verstappen-Red Bull combo is turning into a juggernaut. In Verstappen, we arguably have the best driver on the grid in the last two seasons. He is exceptionally quick and rarely makes a mistake.
On the other hand, Red Bull compliments him brilliantly by providing a competitive machinery and some of the best possible strategic calls during the race. With Singapore possibly being the exception last season, most of the time Red Bull was spot on with the strategic calls.
For the 2023 F1 season, Red Bull will surely be compromised by the reduced development time. It's safe to say that in some way, it is going to prove to be a hurdle.
The car might not be the fastest on the grid but it will still be competitive. A competitive car with the best driver on the grid and the best in-race operations over a 23-race calendar is a lethal combination.
The Max Verstappen-Red Bull combo might prove to be too much for George Russell or any other 'driver-team' combo on the grid.
#2 George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will end up taking points off each other
George Russell outscored Lewis Hamilton last season and this is surely something he should be proud of. Having said that, the battle between the two drivers was neck-and-neck all season. More often than not, the balance tilted towards a driver depending on race weekend.
This season also, something similar should be expected as Russell is not going to be in a situation where he ends up dominating Hamilton. The balance will continue to swing in either direction all season.
Let's assume Mercedes produces a package capable of fighting for the title. Even in that scenario, the two Mercedes drivers will end up taking points off each other and neither of the two drivers will be able to make the most of the package.
As a result, drivers like Max Verstappen and even Charles Leclerc, clear no.1 drivers in their respective teams, would always be in the hunt. They would be extracting the best possible results from their respective cars.
All of this is going to significantly disadvantage both Mercedes drivers and work in favor of Verstappen and Leclerc in the long run.
#3 The loss of key personnel at Mercedes is a concern
James Vowles is out of Mercedes and will lead George Russell's old team, Williams. On the surface, it might not seem important but the German team is facing a mass exodus of sorts. Quite a few key personnel have been poached by Aston Martin and even Red Bull.
While Red Bull has sneaked away a few personnel for its power train division, Aston Martin has focussed on chassis specialists that have joined the team now. Vowles leaving is however significant because he has been one of the senior members for some time now.
There are a few parallels that can be drawn with the end of Ferrari's dominant era in the 2000s. At that time, key members like Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, and Rory Byrne moved on to different roles.
The team hasn't been the same since and hasn't won a title. Is Mercedes going through a similar slow decline and will George Russell be the one that loses out the most in this? It's hard to comment on that, but it is safe to say that Mercedes certainly needs to overcome a few setbacks this season.
