As Mercedes enters a new era for Formula One as the title favorites, George Russell feels he has been given a vehicle that is prepared to win the world championship.
Between 2014 and 2021, Mercedes won seven driver’s titles and eight straight constructors’ titles under Toto Wolff’s direction.
They have had trouble keeping up with Red Bull and McLaren since Russell came in 2022.
However, a major upheaval of the sport’s technical rulebook for the 2019 season means a fresh start for all the teams on the grid.
Mercedes captured the eye in last week’s first test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya by boasting both excellent speed and reliability, with the bookmakers making Russell favourite for his maiden world title.
“I feel ready to fight for a world championship, and whether we have that tag as favourites above us or not, it doesn’t change my approach one single bit,” said the British driver at Mercedes’ digital launch on Monday.
“We need to learn a lot of things quickly, but I think I can take advantage of that and I feel confident in myself and the team.”
Red Bull’s campaign will be led by four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who wants to win the championship again after losing to Lando Norris the previous year.
Russell and Verstappen have been at odds both on and off the track in recent years, and the former is excited about the possibility of a championship match to intensify their rivalry.
“I would adore that. Russell continued, “He will definitely be in the fight this year.
“You definitely wish things had been a little bit simpler, but it should never be easy, and if you are going to win, you want to have fought for it and earned it fairly and on schedule.
“The best-case scenario is if you have a number of teams battling it out, and at the moment it does look like Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and ourselves are the four teams that are quite close.”
After four seasons of disappointment, Wolff is relieved to have what seems to be a competitive car at the top of the grid, but despite a successful first test session, he is not getting over away.
“It is always nice if your driver is the favourite with the bookmakers, and he (Russell) deserves it because he is one of the best,” added the Austrian.
“But the best car and driver always win, and we haven’t yet shown that our package is adequate.”
Before the season starts in Australia on March 8, there will be two three-day tests in Bahrain later this month.
