F1 News: Mercedes Director Backs George Russell As Future Champion

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has backed George Russell as a future champion so long as they can provide him with a suitable car.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has backed George Russell as a future champion "providing we can give him a car that's fit for that job."

The Brackley-based squad has been on an uphill battle since the beginning of the 2022 season when their W13 concept didn't work. Despite this, they are still running in second position in the constructors' standings for 2023, although Red Bull is more than double the points ahead. 

Russell has struggled to make a mark in 2023 even though he took home the only victory for the team in 2022. The British driver is currently in sixth position with 99 points, the same as Charles Leclerc in fifth position. In comparison, Russell's teammate seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is in fourth position with 148 points.

During an interview with Sky Sports F1 during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Shovlin explained:

“He's a hugely professional driver who's working very, very hard. And he’s one of those that you'd say no doubt he'll win a championship at some point, providing we can give him a car that's fit for that job.

“And we're obviously working very hard to achieve that. But he's very technical. He adapts well to different conditions. All good drivers get better over time, they're focused on looking for every opportunity to improve.

“And when he got pole here last year it was a surprise for us, because we didn't have a good Friday. We did make some changes to the car, but he did a fantastic job in qualifying to get that. So, he's super focused and no doubt that he'll be part of much success for the team in the future.”

Racing will get going again for the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of the month once the summer break comes to a close.