George Russell will certainly take learning from Mercedes to Williams but believes that the British F1 team is no less efficient in terms of operation.
After a weekend at Mercedes in which he narrowly missed out on victory, Russell returned to Williams once more for Abu Dhabi equipped with expanded knowledge of its operation, having also spent time in between Sakhir and Abu Dhabi with the team.
With Mercedes’ dominance arguably greater than that of any previous dynasty, insight into some of the F1 team’s operational practices is valuable, and Russell says some of it can be applied to Williams as they seek to become more efficient.
Russell also says that time behind the wheel of the W11 gives him insight to help Williams’ development. “Some things I learned just in terms of driving that will help me moving forward,” he said to media including F1, Motorsport Ntework, Racefans.net, BBC and more. “I got the chance to compare against Valtteri and see some of Lewis’ data.
“But also just the feel of that Mercedes, knowing where that car is strong, knowing we as Williams need to improve in this area, that area, car needs to be stronger here, that’s where the Mercedes feels good. That was a massive opportunity not only for me, but also my team to feedback those feelings,” Russell said, before noting an observation of his that Mercedes “leave no stone unturned” in their pursuit of success.
“The guys at Mercedes work at such a high level in absolutely every single detail,” said Russell. “And they leave no stone unturned, and that pays dividends – this is why they are the best and this is why they are dominating.
“So, there’s a number of things that I can go back to Williams with: being a better driver, more confidence and a few things that will help push the team forward,” Russell added, before clarifying that those who work at Williams are in no way less thorough or efficient.
The Brit says instead that Williams are in the top five teams operationally, but that they simply lack downforce in a sport “dictated” by the application of those sciences. “Every team is unique in its own way, but to be honest Williams as a race team performs at a really high level,” said Russell.
“I think that is definitely not the issue we have as a team, and those guys I think we are definitely not the worst race team, engineers, group of mechanics, everyone at the track. I’d probably put us in the top five, to be honest. They are a really great bunch of guys, but ultimately this is a sport dominated by downforce and that is what we are lacking.”
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