Mercedes-Benz

GEORGE RUSSELL is confident Mercedes can challenge Red Bull in the 2023 F1 season.Him and team-mate Lewis Hamilton managed just one victory between them in 2022, and that came in the penultimate race when Russell won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton endured a disappointing 2022 seasonCredit: Rex
Seven-time champ Hamilton failed to win a single race for the first time EVER, finishing a career-low sixth, two places behind Russell.
The season was dominated by Max Verstappen and Red Bull, who won 17 of the 22 races.
As a result, they finished a massive 244 points ahead of Mercedes in the constructors standings.
Despite the team’s worst season for a decade, Russell is optimistic they will come back stronger in 2023.
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Asked if Mercedes can challenge for the title, he told Crash: “I think when you look at the development we have brought this year, and the rate at which we’ve closed the gap, there’s nothing telling us we can’t achieve this.
“We’ve been pretty clear now for about two months which targets we have to hit in terms of development.
“And I am pretty confident if we do achieve that, we will have a car that we can compete with Red Bull.
“At the start of this year, we qualified behind Alfa, behind Haas.
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“I remember in Imola, I finished fourth but I was the same pace as Lando [Norris] and I had Valtteri [Bottas] chasing me down in the Alfa. 
“They were quicker than us in that race and Lewis was in P10 or P9.
“But you look at us now and where we are in comparison to those cars that probably haven’t had the similar development as the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull, we’ve made massive strides. 
“The fact now we are in a position to fight for race victories shows a lot. So, I’ve got every bit of confidence in this team. 
“Maybe straight out of the blocks, we weren’t the fastest car because of where we were coming from.
“But the rate of development, I’ve got every hope that we can definitely fight for the championship next year.”
The 2023 season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5. More

LEWIS HAMILTON celebrated his 38th birthday by going on an 11-kilometre run past penguins and seals in the freezing Antarctic.The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is gearing up for the 2023 season which kicks off with the first race in Bahrain on March 5.
Lewis Hamilton went on an 11km run in AntarcticaCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
A video on his social media showed him running next to the seaCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
‘Eye of the Tiger’ played over the top of the clipCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
Hamilton showed the penguins he saw while out on his runCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
He also ran past a seal chilling on the roadCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
Hamilton also shared a picture of an old whaling facilityCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
And such is the time of year of the Brit’s birthday, he cannot rest at all as he hit the icy roads for training.
Hamilton shared a video on his Instagram story of him running in the cripplingly cold and snowy weather with a gilet and hat on.
He then turned the camera to show his followers the penguins and seals in front of him.
Hamilton added the caption: “11km run in Antarctica, best run ever when you run past penguins and seals.”
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He also shared an image of an old whaling facility where oil used to be stored.
And he said: “An old whaling facility where they killed whales and stored their oil in these tanks.
“Thankful it’s no longer done here!”
The legendary racing driver then posted another video of him running with the “Eye of the Tiger” song playing over the top.
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Hamilton is hoping for a more successful 2023 campaign after failing to win a race last year for the first season in his F1 career.
Red Bull dominated both the drivers and constructors championships as Max Verstappen, 25, claimed a second title.
Hamilton finished 214 points adrift of the Dutchman, while Mercedes were 244 points behind Red Bull in the constructors standings.
But the Brit, who is once again going for a record-breaking eighth title, believes as many as five teams could be involved in the fight for victory this year.
He said: “I’d like to think that we’re going to be the ones that are competing with them and being able to beat them [Red Bull] again, I do believe that for sure.
“But I really hope that Ferrari are strong in the following years. They’ve definitely had a difficult year but there’s been some strong signs, obviously, that you’ve seen this year, which has been nice to see.
“And it’s been nice to see Ferrari doing well again.
“So, I hope that it’s more than a two-way battle next year. I hope there’s at least three of us.
“If not, surprisingly, maybe more. Like, why can’t McLaren be there? We’ll see.
“Or even Alpine has been doing amazing. So, we’ll see.”
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George Russell secured Mercedes’ only victory in 2022 as he claimed the Sao Paulo GP.
The 24-year-old also pipped Hamilton in the overall standings, finishing 35 points clear of his team-mate. More

LEWIS HAMILTON wants a five-team tussle for the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship.The 2022 season was dominated by Red Bull, who triumphed in 17 of the 22 races.
Lewis Hamilton is set to be back in title mix this yearCredit: Getty
This led to Max Verstappen romping to the title, with Red Bull easily winning the constructors championship too.
Hamilton’s Mercedes showed signs of life towards the end of the campaign, with team-mate George Russell winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Ferrari demonstrated potential earlier in the campaign, and Hamilton also wants McLaren and Alpine to join the fight at the front of the grid.
The Brit, who recently celebrated his 38th birthday, said: “I’d like to think that we’re going to be the ones that are competing with them and being able to beat them [Red Bull] again, I do believe that for sure.
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“But I really hope that Ferrari are strong in the following years. They’ve definitely had a difficult year but there’s been some strong signs, obviously, that you’ve seen this year, which has been nice to see.
“And it’s been nice to see Ferrari doing well again.
“So, I hope that it’s more than a two-way battle next year. I hope there’s at least three of us.
“If not, surprisingly, maybe more. Like, why can’t McLaren be there? We’ll see.
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“Or even Alpine has been doing amazing. So, we’ll see.”
McLaren ditched Aussie Daniel Ricciardo, who will now back-up Verstappen and Carlos Sainz at Red Bull, for his compatriot from Down Under Oscar Piastri.
While Alpine replaced Aston Martin-bound veteran Fernando Alonso with Pierre Gasly – who will partner his fellow Frenchman Esteban Ocon.
Hamilton has 12 months remaining on his Mercedes contract, and is not close to agreeing to an extension.
The 2023 campaign will get underway in Bahrain on March 5.
Everyone will be looking to catch Red BullCredit: Reuters More

SEBASTIAN VETTEL has revealed that could have become rival Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate at Mercedes in 2016.The German Formula One driver admitted that he held talks with former Mercedes boss Niki Lauda following the retirement of Hamilton’s team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he could have joined Mercedes in 2016Credit: Getty
Mercedes driver, Rosberg was the reigning holder of the World Drivers’ Championship title in 2016 when he decided to retire.
However, that meant that the Formula One team needed to find a replacement, and Ferrari driver Vettel was approached.
He said: “Maybe there was [a chance], I spoke with Niki.
“But to be honest, it was halfway through the Ferrari period.
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“Obviously, it would have been a big deal because Lewis was their No1, and I’m not sure whether they would have liked to have us both in the team. 
“But I also didn’t have a great interest at that time, because I was so committed to Ferrari.
“That was my dream to make that thing work, so you talk to each other, but it wasn’t really serious.
“I think it would have been a great challenge and I think I would have enjoyed that, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
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“My focus was to win with Ferrari. I didn’t want to change team and win with Mercedes, but it just didn’t happen. I am cool with that.
“I think I would have enjoyed racing with Lewis, we get along really well, and our moment was the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where we had maybe what you would call nowadays a ‘misunderstanding!’”
Vettel and Hamilton both made their debuts in 2007.
The Brit was at a leading team in McLaren, whereas Vettel made his debut for backmarkers Sauber.
They clashed during a coming together came at the Azerbaijan GP in 2017 in a clear act of road rage that should have seen Vettel banned.
The German deliberately rammed his Ferrari into Hamilton’s Mercedes as they prepared for a restart behind a safety car.
Vettel was given a ten-second penalty and later apologised but finished ahead of Hamilton in the race. More

LEWIS HAMILTON has hinted at retirement from Formula 1 as he says there are “other things” he wants to do with his life. The seven-times world champion is currently enjoying time away from the track before returning next month for pre-season testing.
Hamilton has many interests outside of drivingCredit: Getty
He has seen it all and done it all during his 15 years at the top level of motorsport.
And despite previously signalling a desire to march on with Mercedes, Hamilton has made clear he does not always feel that way.
He told German newspaper Bild: “Sometimes you wake up and have this feeling: I don’t want to do this anymore.
“And sometimes you wake up and think: I can still do other things my whole life, there is definitely more I want to achieve.”
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He added: “It won’t be a terribly long time now, but I’ll definitely be staying.”
Despite admitting considering retirement, Hamilton has also previously signalled a willingness to consider staying at Mercedes over the long-term.
Team boss Toto Wolff said in October: “We speak a lot together.
“Last week we sat down and he says, ‘Look, I have another five years in me how do you see that?’ Over time we have just grown together.
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“We are totally transparent with each other.”
Mercedes were tipped to offer Hamilton, who turns 38 on Saturday, an extension on his current contract which runs to the end of this year during the off-season.
The experienced driver has many interests outside of F1.
He has previously shown a passion for fashion, music, travelling and tackling inequalities both in and out of sport.
Hamilton is preparing to enter his 17th season in F1 after a couple of tough years on the track.
After the gut-wrenching end to the 2021 season, the star endured his first winless season ever last year while his teammate George Russell managed to claim victory in Brazil. More