
Russell dismisses second-best-to-Verstappen prospect
Russell dismisses second-best-to-Verstappen prospect

George Russell has claimed finishing second best to Max Verstappen in this year's F1 drivers' championship would be meaningless without a race victory.
Russell has delivered superbly on his maiden campaign with Mercedes, scoring seven podiums, including six third places and a runner-up spot to Verstappen in the Dutch Grand Prix.
At present, Russell lies fourth in the drivers' standings, just 16 points adrift of second-placed Charles Leclerc whose title challenge to Verstappen has faded.
Mercedes, however, has yet to win a race this season, which is the primary concern for Russell, rather than finishing best of the rest behind the Red Bull driver.
Asked whether second place in the drivers' championship was motivating, Russell replied: "It doesn't mean a huge amount, to be honest. We are here to win.
"Nobody remembers who finishes second in the championship, and if you give me a choice between winning a couple of races this year and finishing outside the top three, or winning no races and finishing second, I'll choose the race wins.
"We'll take it. We'll definitely take it.
"For the team, obviously, we are going to try and beat Ferrari in the championship, but for me, I'm here to win and, unfortunately, that's a bit out of reach in terms of a championship."
Austin best hope for Russell and Mercedes?
As to where the possibility of that win might come from, with six races remaining in Singapore, Suzuka, Austin, Mexico City, São Paulo and Abu Dhabi, Russell feels the Circuit of the Americas may offer the best opportunity.
"There's no standout I would say that really springs to mind," assessed Russell.
"Singapore could be interesting, but historically it is a circuit where Mercedes has struggled a little bit, and we know that at the street circuits this year we haven't fared so well.
"As a team, we're making a huge amount of progress at the moment and we're understanding the car more and more, and hopefully as we develop the car further, we can make some further gains.
"I'd probably say maybe Austin. Austin could be a circuit that suits us, but I truly don’t know."
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F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
-
Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
-
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Australia 2023
-
Grand Prix of China 2023
-
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
-
Miami Grand Prix 2023
-
Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
-
Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
-
AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
-
Grand Prix du Canada 2023
-
Grand Prix of Austria 2023
-
Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
-
Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
-
Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
-
Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Italy 2023
-
Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
-
Grand Prix of Japan 2023
-
Qatar Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of the United States 2023
-
Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
-
Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
-
Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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