How confidence-inducing Mercedes F1 car raises Russell's Silverstone hopes

If Lewis Hamilton has struggled to get the best out of the Mercedes W15, even in its slightly less rapid early form, then George Russell has managed to hit the high notes more often than not. After all, the younger Briton leads the qualifying battle (9-2) and perhaps has shown more willingness to work with the car, even in the more trying races this season.

Now that Mercedes is on the up, Russell reckons that the growing confidence in the car should stand him in good stead for his home grand prix. After all, Silverstone’s array of high and medium-speed corners requires full commitment from a driver; with a well-balanced car underneath them, it can be a much more promising prospect.

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“You need confidence from your car to be quick at Silverstone,” Russell says. “It’s the fastest circuit of the year with the biggest changes of direction through Maggotts and Becketts.

“You need that confidence being built during the race weekend, you need to get into that rhythm, and definitely W15 is the most confidence I’ve had from the three Mercedes cars I’ve driven by a long, long way. So I’m expecting it to be a real good feeling through Silverstone.”

The high-water mark of Russell’s 2024 thus far, aside from his shock Austrian win last weekend? Probably Montreal, all told, after pole from Max Verstappen (albeit with exactly the same time, to three decimal places) led to a third-place finish, his first podium visit of the season.

Russell says he has more confidence in this year's Mercedes than with either of its predecessors, which helped him to snare pole in Canada

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

A solid result, but more could have been on offer had Russell not experienced a slip or two twixt cup and lip; the Norfolk native tried to match Verstappen for pace but ended up exploring more of the run-off than ideal over the 70-lap affair. But Russell sensed a big result was possible and did everything in his power to go after it – even if he ended up overdoing it.

Russell might not have the Silverstone credentials that his illustrious team-mate possesses – he’s only finished a British Grand Prix in the points once during his F1 career. That’s more down to the cars he’s driven, however, and being pulled into Zhou Guanyu’s upside-down crash in the 2022 edition of the race. Nonetheless, he’s won there in the junior categories, and his F1 results (or lack thereof) haven’t dulled his enthusiasm for his home event.

“I remember queuing up in the assembly area, which was just outside of the BRDC building,” he says of his 2014 BRDC F4 title-winning campaign, “winning two of the three races there. One of the races was really challenging and rain was coming down and we were all on slicks, everyone slipping and sliding everywhere.

He has taken himself closer to the limit in pursuit of more glory, which has led to a slightly higher error rate over the past couple of years

“That was really special, my first victory at such an iconic track, and an F4 car on the grand prix layout – the track felt ginormous. It felt like the lap went on forever, and the track was so wide in one of these tiny cars and the racing was so good.

“There’s a little bit more going on through the course of the weekend because as a Brit you just sort of feed on those emotions and the adrenalin that those fans give you. You don’t even recognise that you’re doing more and it’s things that I enjoy doing – seeing the fans, you get the energy from them.

“You’re pretty knackered on the Monday morning, but during the weekend you just sort of ride that wave and it’s such an awesome experience. Staying at Silverstone in a motorhome sort of reminds me of my karting days when I used to travel with my parents in the motorhome…”

Given Russell’s fine performances this season (leaving aside his crash in the dying laps of the Australian GP), a first British GP podium should be on the cards if his W15 is able to continue its steady progress towards the front. His driving has evolved too, as the notion of further F1 wins dangles before him like the proverbial carrot on a stick.

Russell always relishes the passionate fan engagement at Silverstone

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

For him, it’s never felt closer, and he has taken himself closer to the limit in pursuit of more glory. That’s led to a slightly higher error rate over the past couple of years, Russell suggesting that “in 2022 I didn’t make a single mistake in the whole season, but I wasn’t pushing myself the way I’m pushing myself now”.

He admits that approaching races with the idea of taking more risks to clinch wins isn’t something he’s predisposed to; he preferred the more balanced risk-reward trade-off he drove with during his junior series title wins. He’s Alain Prost-like, perhaps, in that regard; banking the points and building a championship might suit his skillset more.

But that’s not the position he finds himself in just yet. His no-holds-barred, dogged determination to chalk up another race victory will have to suffice.

After his unexpected Austria triumph, can Russell wrestle another result from the Mercedes at Silverstone?

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images