George Russell insists that Mercedes can be right in the mix for this year's Formula 1 world championship, despite the teams' slump in performance last year.
The squad dominated the modern hybrid era with eight back to back constructors titles, before finally being emphatically dethroned by Red Bull in 2022 as a result of early issues with the introduction of new rules and regulations.
Russell himself delivered Mercedes' only win of the season in Brazil, with the team looking stronger in the final races of the year.
The 24-year-old Briton, who joined Mercedes from Williams at the start of 2022, believes that this shows Mercedes are on the way back and will soon be back in position to win races and titles this year.
“Maybe straight out of the blocks we weren’t the fastest car [in 2022] because of where we were coming from. But the rate of development, I’ve got every hope that we can definitely fight for the championship," he told Motorsport.com.
“At the start of [last] year, we qualified behind Alfa, and behind Haas,” he recalled. “I remember in Imola, I finished fourth but I was the same pace as Lando [Norris], and I had Valtteri [Bottas] chasing me down in the Alfa.
“They were quicker than us in that race and Lewis was in P10 or P9," he continued.
"But you look at us now, and where we are in comparison to those cars that probably haven’t had the similar development as the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull, we’ve made massive strides.
“The fact now we were in a position to fight for race victories shows a lot, so I’ve got every bit of confidence in this team."
But Russell is certainly taking nothing for granted, and knows that the gruelling challenge of a race that could be up to 24 races long will be tough for everyone in 2023.
“The seasons are definitely hotting up,” he acknowledged. “We will definitely have a sit down with the team, with my personal team, to see how we can be the most efficient across the season.
"We need to make sure not only I but everyone in the team performs at their A-game over such a brutal season," he added.
“It’s going to be one of the challenges, for sure, one of which you wish you can do a better job than your competitors," he said. “It’s definitely a challenge - one of those which just adds to the challenges of F1.”
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