Mercedes had 'a reality check' at 2022 Abu Dhabi GP - George Russell

George Russell reckons the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi was a reality check for Mercedes following the highs of a 1-2 finish in Brazil the week before.

Mercedes lacked the speed to compete with Ferrari and Red Bull in the last race of the season. While Lewis Hamilton retired due to hydraulic issues, Russell finished fifth.

Following the race, the Mercedes driver said that the team has some way to go to compete with Red Bull next season. He said:

"I think it's a bit of a reality check for all of us. And very much needed, because we still recognise that we've got a lot to do if we want to fight with Red Bull next season."

He added:

"Clearly, we have a car with a huge amount of potential, but unfortunately, that performance window is far too narrow. And those performance swings we've seen from the highs of Budapest, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore comparing to the likes of here, Monza, Spa are just far too vast."

Russell added that Mercedes were not the only team to experience porpoising this year, something that impacted their competitiveness. He said:

"I think we weren't the only team to have experienced a bit of porpoising in this year. The changes the FIA are making with the raised floor edge are going to be an improvement in that regard. It definitely adds quite a lot of fatigue. I forgot what it was like to drive with the car bouncing around through the corners, down the straight a little bit. So I'll be happy if I turn up to Bahrain next year with none of that."

Russell (275) ended the season in fourth place in the driver standings, ahead of his teammate Hamilton (240) in sixth.

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George Russell proud of what he achieved in 2022

George Russell is very proud of his achievements during the season. The driver, though, said that there's scope for improvements to challenge Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the title next year. He said:

"I'm incredibly proud of what we achieved last week, but I'm here to try and become F1 world champion, and we've got a long road ahead of us. For sure it's good to get it off your back, but you're only as good as your last race, as they say, and the last race was here in Abu Dhabi."

He added:

"We finished fifth as a team (here). I'm fourth in the championship. I'm going to look back with a lot of pride on the season, but equally knowing there's a lot to improve if we want to fight with Max (Verstappen)."

Russell secured his first win and pole of his career. He also outscored his illustrious teammate Lewis Hamilton, who ended the season without a win or pole.