2023 new Mercedes W14 has made its debut on track with George Russell in the cockpit of the car at Silverstone.
George Russell, the last year’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix winner said it felt “great” to be back at the wheel as he weighed up Mercedes’s chances for the season ahead.
Russell took his maiden win in Brazil last year amid a relatively torrid season for eight-time champions Mercedes, who struggled for pace relative to Ferrari and Red Bull before getting back some performance late in the year.
The Silver Arrows finished third in the standings – the first time they failed to win the constructors’ championship since 2013.
Now, they’re looking to return to the top – and Russell said he’s as well-prepared as he can be.
“It’s been a pretty good winter, we’re in a pretty strong place, and probably mentally I feel I’m in a strong a place as I’ve ever been,” he said after taking the W14 on track for a shakedown run at Silverstone, following the car’s launch on Wednesday morning.
“I’m in a happy place, I feel good within myself and I feel like I took the necessary time off but equally the necessary time working with the team.
“So far so good, everything ran very smoothly [in the shakedown] and it’s just great to get behind the wheel and see the car in the flesh.”
