Lewis Hamilton threatened by George Russell as Mercedes F1 rivalry tends to leak...

George Russell made it clear he will not be happy until he has usurped Lewis Hamilton as top dog at Mercedes.

Russell did beat his fellow Brit in their first season together as team-mates. And he secured Mercedes’ only win of that 2022 campaign by beating the seven-time world champion to the chequered flag in Brazil.

But Hamilton was by far the most prolific of the Mercedes racers this year. Despite being saddled with a temperamental W14 car which didn’t win a race all year, the 38-year-old was beaten only by his two Red Bull rivals in the drivers’ championship.

In contrast, Russell suffered a sophomore slump and managed only eighth place, 64 points behind his partner. To his credit, though, he is the first to admit that he was not at his best.

And he plans to set the record straight next term. Not only does he want to pull his own weight within the team, but the 25-year-old has made it clear he will not be able to rest until he has cemented his place as Mercedes’ main man.

“No doubt it’s been probably the toughest season I’ve ever had, psychologically,” Russell told reporters. “Bouncing back from missed opportunities, missed results, mistakes. I think this is when you push yourself.

“I could comfortably lift my foot off the gas pedal and drive one percent below the limit and I could sit here right now and tell you that I wouldn’t make a single mistake. And probably when I sit through my championship years, I probably wasn’t being pushed as much as I’m pushing myself now.

“I’m purposely trying to push myself further and beyond, and I’m not satisfied with just being on par with my team-mate in qualifying or whatever it may be. Or last year [when] we were very even across the whole season. I want to be ahead. And that’s what I’m pushing myself for.

“And perhaps that’s been a small reason for contributing to a couple more mistakes. But, I think you look back on seasons like this and you grow. I’m thankful it’s not a season where we’re fighting for a championship victory. And I’m confident next season will be very different. Because I know the sort of driver who I am.

“I know one year like this is not going to take away from all of my other consistent seasons, championship-winning seasons. I know it won’t take a lot to find myself in that good rhythm once again.”