George Russell says Mercedes are ready to take the title fight to Red Bull next season after his maiden grand prix victory.
The Briton had a near-faultless Brazilian Grand Prix weekend winning Saturday’s sprint race as well as the main race on Sunday for a Mercedes one-two which would had looked an impossible outcome earlier in the season amid their struggles with the car.
Following the victory, Russell said: “We’re here to win. We’re here to fight, and I think it just shows all the efforts that everybody’s been putting in throughout this season.”
Russell had to fend off the fast-approaching Hamilton in the dying laps for a deserved victory and credited the seven-time world champion for his top step on the podium.
“I feel so fortunate to be alongside him, I’m learning so much - he’s really pushing me,” said Russell, who also admitted the idea of his more experienced teammate breathing down his neck had been a daunting one.
“When you look in your mirrors and see Lewis Hamilton there, I just knew how fast he was. I’m so happy to have crossed the line and so happy for the team. It’s been such a journey my whole family and I have been on.”
The Mercedes duo’s first half of the season was curtailed by porpoising issues with the car as well as a lack of pace. In the aftermath of Interlagos, Russell estimated Mercedes were well over a second a lap quicker compared to the opening grand prix of the season.
“We were fighting with Alfa Romeo and Haas at the start of the season and well over a second behind Ferrari who were looking the most dominant team at the time,” he said. “I think it really goes to show the improvement we’ve made.
“And we really think next year, we’re going to have a car that its characteristics will be feeling nice, which will give Lewis and I more confidence to push it.”
The Brazilian Grand Prix winner warned Mercedes might take a step back in Abu Dhabi and be off the pace of the Red Bulls such are the nuances of Yas Marina.
