Lewis Hamilton and George Russell collided on the first lap of the Qatar Grand Prix, ruining their plan for the race with Mercedes hoping to secure a double podium
George Russell plans to fully focus on helping Lewis Hamilton to drive Mercedes to second in the constructors' championship after giving up on his personal ambitions for the season.
And that's after narrowing the gap slightly with his fourth-placed finish in Qatar. Mercedes were hoping for a double podium from that race with both drivers starting behind Max Verstappen on the grid, but those ambitions were destroyed when their two cars collided at the first corner. But it will do nothing to improve Russell's mood about how his second season with the team has gone. With just five Grand Prix weekends remaining in 2023, he has now washed his hands of his ambitions in the drivers' championship and says his only goal now is to help Mercedes to hold on to second place in the constructors'.
"But I still have full faith that we are going to achieve it. I have positivity because the car was quick , and we had a really strong race. We've got a few little things coming for the last races of the season, and I believe we will achieve that result."