Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes Supremacy Ends With One Blip of George Russell Success on Public Display at Brackley

Mercedes, for the first time in many years, struggled throughout the season. The Silver Arrows registered just one win, that too in the penultimate race of the season in Brazil. However, that does not mean they have given up. The Brackley-based team is trying everything it can to stay motivated, even if it means drawing inspiration from that single race win.

For the first time in his career, Lewis Hamilton went a whole season without a race win. Even the race win that came in for Mercedes at Interlagos was courtesy of George Russell. That was Russell’s first race win in his Formula 1 career, which came while fighting his own 7-time world champion teammate.

Mercedes display George Russell’s race-win badge in the Brackley factory

Mercedes have a giant display on their Brackley premises that holds badges of their glorious achievements in F1. For each of their Constructor’s Championship titles, they have exhibited a badge. The Silver Arrows proudly exhibited their dominance through the eight championship badges from previous years. However, just a solitary win this season condemned Mercedes to put up only a ‘race winner’ badge on the display this year. It was also a symbol of the team’s fall from grace.

Even though George Russell’s win this season may not have been significant in terms of points, but it surely means a lot to the team in terms of the grit and perseverance they’ve shown. Despite lacking pace and encountering porpoising issues throughout the year, the team kept working to overcome hardships. The efforts finally came to fruition with a 1-2 finish at Interlagos.

Read More: Mercedes to Continue With Head-Turning W13 Innovation in 2023 Despite Major Question Mark

While that win resulted from a collective effort of the workers in the factory, Russell too had to show character to make it happen. After all, it was not a walk in the park. Winning against one of the greatest in the business, his teammate.

George Russell describes the experience of racing against Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is among the most experienced drivers on the F1 grid right now. Moreover, he is the most successful among the current lot. Racing against a beast like him must surely be a nerve-wracking experience.

Speaking post-race in Brazil, George Russell explained, “You know, when you look into the mirrors and you see Lewis Hamilton there, I just knew how fast he was and I was driving the race of my life. But I knew this was a victory to be taken and so happy to watch that line and so proud of the whole team and the work we’ve done this season.”

Watch This Story: IN PICTURES: Lewis Hamilton’s Time Off With Friends Amid Social Media Break

Russell has proven to be a worthy contender to Lewis, beating him on points in his first season with Mercedes. Do you think he will beat Hamilton once again next season? Or was Brazil a one-off lucky incident?