George Russell admits there are “a few more things to come” as Mercedes prepare for the final stretch of the F1 season.
The Silver Arrows picked up another podium in Singapore on Sunday as Lewis Hamilton finished third, owing to his team-mate crashing out in the final laps. Mercedes were competitive at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and can feel aggrieved they didn’t pick up more points.
Toto Wolff and his fellow chiefs are looking to secure second spot in the constructors’ championship with seven races left and are hoping to further improve the Mercedes package heading into the race as Suzuka with Russell revealing there were some upgrades on the way.
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He said: “In all honesty, there’ll be a few more little things to come towards the end of the season, which will aid our learning into next season.”
Mercedes, while they haven’t won a race, hold a narrow advantage over Ferrari and are hoping to see that though, although the Scuderia did win for the first time this season in Singapore, ending the dominance of Red Bull as Carlos Sainz took the chequered flag.
Russell, who has only picked up the one podium this year, is 71 points off team-mate Hamilton, but is the only Mercedes driver to win a race since moving to the team. The Silver Arrows remain winless this season but last year secured a 1-2 at Brazil with Russell taking his first win.
The British driver, who has signed an extension recently, along with Hamilton, has been part of the team that has struggled to replicate the success of the past decade. No longer able to challenge Red Bull with any regularity, Russell hopes the trials and tribulations of the past two years can serve them well going forward.
He said: “Yeah, I think we’ve made some good gains this season. I think it’s clear that we made some mistakes ahead of the 2022 season, and again over this winter, but I’m definitely confident that these mistakes are going to aid us and help us a lot for the future.
“And, you know, you need those setbacks, and you need those errors to set you on the right path. And I think, as a team, we’re incredibly motivated to get back to the top. And as I said, I think the lessons we’ve learned over these two years, will only help us in the years to come.”
