“I’m not too bitter” - Russell takes inspiration from Verstappen in title wait

Russell’s arrival at Mercedes coincided with their downturn in form, meaning he’s only won once since joining the team.

Conversely, Max Verstappen has dominated F1, winning 38 races since the start of last year.

However, Russell’s lack of title challenge isn’t bringing him down, citing the fact that Verstappen had to wait a number of years for being able to take on Mercedes in 2021.

“We’re all here to fight for victory, we’re all here to fight for championships,” he told Motorsport Magazine. “And that’s not just the 2,000 people that work for Mercedes this is the thousands of people who work at Ferrari, McLaren and everybody else that works down this grid – they are fighting for victory.

"And this is the sad reality of Formula 1 – only one team can get it right.

“And, often, when you do get it right, you get it very right and it’s very difficult to turn the tide and chase back up. So, of course I wanted to achieve a lot more this season. It’s been… regardless of the being victory-less, there’s probably been seven or eight podiums I could’ve had this year… and I’m disappointed with myself in that there’s been a few on my shoulders.

“But I think when you’re on the back foot, everything often goes against you. But when the car is flying, everything goes for you. So, clearly we need to work on one thing. I look at the positives. I’m 25 years old, I feel like I’ve got a good at least 15 years left in me – when I look at Fernando [Alonso]. And when I look at Max [Verstappen], I think he was in his seventh year before he fought for a title.”

Russell is prepared to “bide his time”, noting that Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are in similar positions. 

“So, we need to bide our time, as frustrating as it is. But you’ve got great drivers like Charles [Leclerc] in the exact same position, Lando in the exact same position. And this was Max four or five years ago in 2020 and prior. So, I’m not too bitter about it.

“Of course I would love my fortunes to be different, but my time will come.”