F1 News: George Russell Gets Back On Track In Dreaded W13 After Winter Break
Mercedes driver George Russell has had his first day back on the track after his winter break as part of a two-day tyre test with Pirelli.
Unfortunately for the British driver he was driving the dreaded W13 which caused the team countless issues throughout the 2022 season. Luckily the team were able to make some significant improvements towards the end of the season which they say they have been able to carry through to W14, which will be revealed on February 15.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will take over from Russell tomorrow for the second day of testing with Pirelli.
Pirelli's head of motorsport Mario Isola has spoken about how the company has been able to fit in the test days with the 2022 and 2023 schedules. He explained:
“We realised it was impossible with the 2022 calendar, and also with next year’s calendar, to organise all the test sessions we needed.
“In the regulations, we can use the current cars until December 15 and from February 1 to the first race of next year’s championship, using the 2022 cars. They cannot use the tests in February to develop the 2023 car.”
Mercedes and Russell posted his return to the track to social media, writing:
"Feels good to be back!"
The 2023 season will have a record breaking 23 races which starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix on 3-5 March. Pre-season testing will also be in Bahrain on 23-25 February.
February has many important F1 dates to keep in mind as the F1 world readies itself for the season to kick off. The next date to keep in mind is 3 February for the Red Bull RB19 launch, where they are rumoured to be revealing their technical partner for 2026 although this is not confirmed yet.