Just imagine if Red Bull were not there this year, how crazy of a season we may be having – 4 teams in the championship fight. Apparently one of these 4 teams – RBR’s main rival Mercedes seems to be taking the main challenger’s baton back. At the 2023 US Grand Prix, Toto Wolff boldly claimed they would be closing in to have the quickest car. But not everyone in the Mercedes camp is on the same page.

George Russell, the team’s rising star, responded with a less-than-enthusiastic take on their season, calling it “really scrappy.” Is it playful banter, genuine frustration, or a miscommunication? Regardless, it’s adding spice to an already intense season. Can Mercedes patch things up before the next race?

Mercedes’ quickest car claim faces scrutiny

Well, folks, the Formula 1 pit lane has seen its fair share of drama, but this one’s a spicy curveball even by F1 standards! Toto Wolff recently puffed up his chest and declared, “We have the quickest car”. A statement surely meant to instill confidence in the Brackley camp and send a message to their rivals. However, it seems not everyone’s aboard the Mercedes hype train.

Enter George Russell, the team’s very own prodigy. In a rather salty response, Russell quipped about their “really scrappy season“. Ouch! It seems like young Briton isn’t sipping the same Kool-Aid as his team principal.

Now, whether it’s an innocent jest, a genuine grievance, or just a case of “lost in translation“, it sure adds a sprinkle of drama to this season’s already heated race for supremacy. Will the Mercedes family patch things up in time for the next race? Only time will tell. It hasn’t even been a couple of weeks ever since the Silver Arrows collided under the lights in the Qatar desert. Thus, Russell’s pessimism after the horrors of Lusail may make some sense.

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George Russell faced a challenging race day at the US Grand Prix, with technical issues adding to his woes. The British driver, piloting the Mercedes W14, has had a less-than-ideal weekend in the lead-up to the main event.

George Russell faces uphill battle with technical woes at the US Grand Prix

On Saturday’s sprint shootout, Russell secured the eighth position on the grid. However, an incident involving Charles Leclerc during a qualifying lap resulted in Russell being penalized and forced to start 11th in the sprint race. Despite the setback, he managed to claw his way back and finish in eighth place, earning him a valuable championship point.

The drama didn’t end there for Russell. Just before the main race, he radioed his team to report a problem with his car, saying, “I’ve lost the button on the back of my steering wheel for brake magic.” His engineer responded with reassurance, stating, “Copy that, we’ll see what we can do for you on the grid.”

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While Lewis Hamilton has had another splendid weekend at COTA, Russell is heading out of Texas with sub-optimal results. With just a 7th place finish, compared to Hamilton finishing 2nd within 3 seconds of Max Verstappen must be rubbing salt for the man from King’s Lynn. Why wouldn’t he be frustrated about his “scrappy” 2023 season? What do you think, can Russell salvage a good result before the year ends?