George Russell hailed as F1 "revelation" by former champion

Russell in Abu Dhabi — Photo: © LAT Images

Mercedes

Russell hailed as F1 'revelation' by former champion

The next world champion?

Ewan Gale

Saturday 28 January 2023 12:30 Updated: 08:33

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Former F1 world champion Mario Andretti has labelled George Russell as "a revelation".

The British driver enjoyed a strong first season with Mercedes despite the lack of competitiveness in the W13, securing top-five finishes through to the British Grand Prix in a remarkable run of consistency.

Despite mistakes creeping into his performances late in the season, Russell was rewarded with a stunning pole position at the Hungarian GP and a maiden grand prix victory in Brazil.

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Russell also beat Lewis Hamilton in the championship, finishing above his seven-time champion team-mate and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz to finish fourth.

Full of praise for the former Williams driver, 1978 champion Andretti told RTL: “If you look at his performance last year, not only in qualifying but also his racing strength, you have to see him as a revelation."

Mercedes can make three-way fight

Mercedes' struggles associated with porpoising and drag efficiency took a step towards being solved via a significant update package introduced for the final four races of the season.

But Andretti is optimistic the Brackley-based outfit will join Red Bull and Ferrari consistently this upcoming campaign.

“You have to assume that they will fight back as hard as they always have," added the American.

“Can you imagine if we had three teams fighting hard and every now and then a fourth team like McLaren sticks its nose in?”