"I've got so many mechanics who are ill": George Russell stresses on the impact of the 22-race F1 season on team personnel

After an intense 22-race calendar in 2023, George Russell spoke about the physical and mental impact of a long season on the Mercedes team members.

Over the years, the sport has gradually increased the number of races in a season. The 2023 F1 season initially had 23 races. Even though the event was not held in Emilia Romagna, the 22-race calendar was still hectic for many.

Russell explained how drivers are fortunate to get help from everyone while traveling. However, he was quick to add that other team members such as mechanics and engineering office staff struggle quite a lot as they try to settle in different time zones, varied hotels, and changed climates.

“I think the drivers, we have it best from every single person in this paddock, the way we travel. We’re in a very fortunate position. But everybody up and down the paddock – I’ve got so many mechanics who are ill, people in the engineers’ office, just really struggling with the constant time zone shifts, the body not knowing where you are, eating at different times, staying in different hotels, different environments, different climates,” Russell said.

Russell went on to claim that Mercedes is trying to ensure that not every team member, except a few key personnel, attends every single race in the 2024 F1 season.

“The body’s getting confused. I think there are talks for next year about personnel being regulated so that they can’t do every single race. I think that would be a good thing. I don’t think it’s sustainable to 4,000 people; I think it is to do 24 races a season, especially when you see how geographically it still doesn’t make a huge amount of sense,” he added.

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George Russell on him and Lewis Hamilton struggling with Mercedes W14

George Russell qualified fourth in the 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP, while his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton ended up in 11th. After the qualifying session, Russell stated how hard it is for him and Hamilton to find the Mercedes W14's sweet spot in terms of balance.

"We’ve never been the same pace, either I’ve been 4 or 5 tenths ahead or he’s been 4 or 5 tenths ahead. It’s really strange to understand because he’s never 4 or 5 tenths off the pace, clearly, this car is really hard to get in the sweet spot," he said to the media post-qualifying session.

After the final race of the 2023 F1 season, Russell finished eighth in the drivers' championship with 175 points, while Hamilton secured third place with 234 points.