George Russell’s 2022 signing with the Silver Arrows was a game-changer. When Lewis Hamilton quit up, his fellow countryman remained optimistic about the W14 and future races. The season finale was the moment his hard work paid off, and he and his teammates were extremely thrilled.
Mercedes and Ferrari entered the Abu Dhabi GP with a narrow 4-point gap, making it vital for the drivers to achieve a podium finish and secure the 2nd position in the constructor’s championship. George Russell’s performance throughout the race was exceptional and greatly contributed to Mercedes’ position.
Russell and Mercedes set for celebration following podium finish in Abu Dhabi
George Russell secured a commendable 3rd place in the Abu Dhabi GP, allowing Mercedes to secure a crucial podium finish ahead of Ferrari. The battle with Sergio Perez was incredibly tough, with Charles Leclerc charging in 2nd place to give Ferrari an amazing chance to win. However, despite the struggles of the W14, Mercedes’ dependable driver, Russell, gave his best performance to ensure his team stayed afloat.
George Russell’s podium finish helped Mercedes secure a 3-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructor’s championship, ultimately securing the highly sought-after 2nd position. George Russell shared his post-race plans following the significant achievement, mentioning that he and his team intended to enjoy a few drinks to celebrate after the race. Russell shared his emotions after becoming their hero during the gripping finale’s final moments.
“It means a huge amount,” he told Sky Sports. There are so many people back at the factory, Brackley, Brixworth, who have worked so hard to achieve this.
“It has been a really challenging season. I have let the side down a couple of times this year so pleased to bring it across the line. It was tight with Checo at the end and I thought Charles was going to back me up, but respect to him for keeping it clean. Woah, I can chill out now!”
Hamilton’s ninth-place finish worries F1 pundit
While everything was sunny for George Russell, Hamilton’s race was covered in dark clouds as the legendary champion of Mercedes couldn’t help them out much with his 9th place finish. Lewis Hamilton had a disastrous race and his misery with W14 grew further as the race progressed. Lewis has been out of the championship battles for over 2 years now and his current results have started to worry Damon Hill.
“I mean Lewis is often like that after a race that has not delivered what he wanted,” he commented on the recent dejected behavior of Lewis Hamilton. “George managed to get something out of this weekend, he had a difficult time. It’s been a long hard year, he’ll bounce back after that.”
“But the worrying thing is when Rachel asked him about hope on what’s coming, he wasn’t effervescent about it. I think on reflection I’m sure they will come back, they’ve got to have learnt something from the last two seasons.”
Lewis’s recent statements have stopped showing the optimism he earlier had, but do you think he will be able to bounce back in 2024 if Mercedes manage to make a competitive car?
