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Mercedes Petronas driver George Russell stated that his maiden F1 victory at the 2022 Sao Paulo GP was more significant than beating Lewis Hamilton for points that year. The former Williams driver justified his comment by saying that no one remembers him having more points than Hamilton.
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While talking to Auto Motor and Sport, Russell revealed how winning the Brazilian GP was his biggest moment of the 2022 season. The British driver started on the pole after winning the sprint and convert that start into his maiden race win. This victory at Interlagos was the only GP win for Mercedes in the 2022 season.
“For me, this victory in Brazil was more important than the points classification,” Russell said. “At the end of the day, nobody remembers that I beat Lewis on points. I only finished fourth, so no man’s land.”
Further in the interview, Russell reviewed his season which included a race win and eight podiums finished, and stated that he wants much more in the coming years with Mercedes. He said, “If someone had offered me a win, a pole position, and eight podiums a year ago, I would have said: No, thanks. My ambition and that of the team are much higher than what we have achieved.”
The 2022 season didn’t go as per expectations for Mercedes as they finished out of the first two spots of the Constructor’s Championship. One of the biggest reasons behind the result was seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton’s poor season where failed to win a single race and ended in the sixth spot with 243 points.
So, Toto Wolff and Mercedes would want to improve from their poor 2022 season and would hope that their new car, which will be unveiled on February 15. The 2023 Formula One car will be called the Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance and will be unveiled at the Silverstone track.
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