George Russell says he can feel the "fire" within Mercedes to respond to the crushing conclusion to the 2021 World Championship. While Mercedes wrapped up the Constructors' Championship for an eighth consecutive time, they missed out on the Drivers' Championship after Lewis Hamilton was pipped by Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the final race. With Russell joining Mercedes for 2022, stepping up from Williams after years of being part of Mercedes' junior programme, he explained that his initial factory visits have allowed him to feel the intense desire of the team to respond to that disappointment. "Because I spent so much time with the team prior to joining Williams in Formula 1 as a junior driver, I feel like I know everybody so well already," he explained in a video released by Mercedes, when asked about his initial impressions since starting work with the team. "We were just straight to business on the important bits and bobs, to understand the new car, to understand the challenges, and to try and prepare as best as possible for the season ahead. "And I think, following the conclusion of last year, there's so much motivation and fire within the whole factory to bounce back. And that is incredible for me to see."
Russell anticipating an "interesting year of development"
With Russell joining what should be a front-running outfit after years spent toiling at the back of the grid, the British driver outlined what he hopes to achieve over the course of the season. "My hope for 2022 is to really get the maximum from myself and the team around me," he said. "I think it's going to be such an interesting year of development. And I think that's truly where all the performance is going to be this year. "But, in terms of a result, I truly don't believe you can put a value or target on that, because nobody knows where they're going to be when they reach the first race. "You have to have your micro targets on where am I going to improve on myself? Where am I going to improve on the car? "And, if you do every single aspect correctly, you give yourself the best chance of reaching the obvious goal."
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