SÃO PAULO (Reuters) – George Russell is looking to repeat his Formula One victory at Interlagos from a year ago, as he returns to the track with Mercedes facing a similar situation to last year. The British driver gave the former champions their only win in 2022 at the São Paulo circuit and is now heading back to Brazil with the team still without a victory in 2023. Russell spoke to Reuters in an interview and expressed his recollections of the race and his hopes for this year.
“I remember it like yesterday. I remember crossing the line, the emotions that go through your body at a lifelong dream,” Russell said. He also mentioned the impact of the victory on the team, stating, “I had grown adults in tears after that race because it had been such a long season of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. And we achieved it against all odds. And we find ourselves here 12 months later in a similar position, so I’m hoping we can repeat that success,” added the 25-year-old.
Last year, only Red Bull and Ferrari had claimed victories before Russell’s triumph at Interlagos, where he also won the sprint race while leading his seven-time world champion teammate, Lewis Hamilton, to a one-two finish. This year, once again, only Red Bull and Ferrari have stood on the top step of the podium, with Red Bull dominating the season and winning all but one race. Mercedes currently sits second in the championship, behind Red Bull and ahead of Ferrari.
Reminiscing about the challenging year, Russell said, “It’s been a really challenging year, we made some mistakes with the car development over last winter.” However, he remained optimistic about the team’s prospects in 2024, stating, “And I’m confident going into 2024 we’ll be in a much stronger position. But now we have three races remaining, and Brazil is an important one as it’s a sprint race weekend, more points on offer, and we’re so motivated to try and achieve a fantastic result.”
Russell acknowledged that this season had been filled with missed opportunities but emphasized the team’s goal to come back stronger in 2024. He mentioned the stable regulations for next year and expressed confidence that there won’t be any unexpected problems with the car, adding, “I think these limitations we’ve had in the last two years, and the issues we’ve faced, have made us stronger as a team, as individuals.”
(Writing by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
