Russell no longer feeling too tight for comfort onboard W13

George Russell says Mercedes' new W13 Silver Arrow fits his lanky stature "great" thanks to the design's larger cockpit volume.

Russell's one-off with Mercedes at the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020 put to rest any doubts anyone may have had about the Briton's skills and talent.

However, all was not ideal for the Briton on that memorable weekend which he almost concluded with a shock win, as space was sparse onboard Mercedes' W11 which made for a very tight fit for one of the tallest drivers on the grid.

The 24-year-old was therefore relieved when he first tried on his 2022 W13 for size and found a snug but easeful workspace.

• Read also: Russell says Mercedes can't afford any driver friction

"I think there was actually a regulation change this year as well, that there was a minimum volume for the cockpit size to get around this issue," Russell explained, addressing the 'size matters' issue.

"Whether they were compromises or not, I think we knew fairly early on that I would be driving – the foundation of the car was with a bigger chassis. So you learn to adapt and get around it.

"Obviously, the smaller chassis you have, naturally, the faster you will be. But, to my understanding, we are at the limit of the regulation, as every other team is in that department.

"I fit it great. Previously it wasn't so easy, but so far so good!"

While very different in size, Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton share similar driving styles according to Mercedes new recruit, and that's a characteristic that will only facilitate the pair's collaboration reckons Russell.

"When I'm asked, 'What is my driving style', I don't really know because I want to be adaptable to a situation," he said. "I wouldn't say especially smooth but, equally, I wouldn't say very aggressive either.

"From what I've seen, I do think we have a similar way of driving, where we always try and find the limit of the tyre, but not often trying to go over the limit.

"[We're] pretty smooth in our general approach... time will tell. But I think we'll be in a very similar boat. I have no doubt that we'll be working well together."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter