As the 2024 Formula 1 season heads into its crucial second half, George Russell has made it clear that Mercedes is not just focused on this year's results but is laying the groundwork for a serious title challenge in 2025.
The Brackley-based outfit has endured a challenging couple of seasons since Formula 1’s introduction of ground effect cars.
However, this summer, the former championship winning squad has finally enjoyed a resurgence, with Russell and team mate Lewis Hamilton delivering three victories in the last four races.
Despite his own misfortune with retirements and disqualifications, Russell remains optimistic about the team’s prospects, and insists the second half of Mercedes’ 2024 campaign will be all about building momentum for a title push next year.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he told the media in Belgium last time out.
“I think for all of us, it’s been a difficult couple of years getting the car into a place where we can consistently fight for victories.
“But, you know, I’m so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, which is ultimately building up towards 2025.
“And when you look at the competition now, you know, there’s no reason why we can’t fight.”
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Russell's confidence is underpinned by the team’s current run of form. However, he acknowledges that consistency will be key to sustaining a title challenge.
“If the season started in Montreal, the championship standings would be looking very, very different. So, you know, it’s going to be great,” he added.
“There’s so much, I think there’s so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves.
“So for sure, it’s not going to be easy. And, you know, hopefully we see a good fight on our hands into next year.”
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The season has not been without its mysteries for Mercedes, particularly when it comes to the car's performance and behaviour.
The team struggled during free practice at Spa-Francorchamps, leading the team to abandon a new floor that had been introduced.
However, strategic adjustments during the race allowed Russell to outpace Hamilton until a post-race scrutineering issue led to his disqualification.
Reflecting on these inconsistencies, Russell singled out a potential cause of its car’s variations.
"This season’s really been quite strange when we’ve been slightly off the pace in Austria and Barcelona. We didn’t have the answers then,” he told Motorsport Week.
“And when the pace was so exceptionally quick in Montreal and Silverstone, we had some ideas why it was quick but not to the magnitude that it was.
“So, for sure, we think there’s some correlation with the temperature.
“It’s obviously not the warmest here [at Spa]. There was a bit of cloud cover, so I think that is probably still the correlation we’re seeing.”
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