George Russell confident his best form is still ahead

George Russell sends a clear message to the competition after a strong start to the F1 season.

Russell is convinced that he is nowhere near the peak of his abilities in Formula 1, despite an impressive start to the current season.

The Mercedes driver scored three podiums in the first five races, including a remarkable performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he held off McLaren driver Lando Norris in a troubled W16 to finish second.

Although he had a somewhat difficult weekend in Saudi Arabia, where he fell from third to fifth by the end of the race, the 27-year-old is only 26 points behind Oscar Piastri, who is currently leading the drivers' standings. Russell's consistency and speed keep him in contention for the title, despite driving a car that is not at the level of the competition.

Results

Those results and his form fueled the consensus in the F1 world that Russell made a significant step forward this year. That impression was further reinforced by his coming out of the shadow of his former teammate Lewis Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari during the winter, while Russell assumed the role of leading driver in the team, alongside the talented rookie Kimi Antonelli.

However, Russell sees it differently. Not only does he not believe he's progressed as much as people say, he insists there's still plenty of room for improvement - room he believes he can fill.

"Honestly, I feel like I'm doing my things my way," Russell told Dutch RacingNews365. "I don't think my performance is significantly better than last year - I think at the end of last year, from Austin onwards, I was riding at a very high level."

"Of course, when you're a teammate of a seven-time world champion, every weekend is a struggle. It wasn't easy, but I don't think I'm doing anything different now than last year," he explains.

“However, I feel that I am currently riding at the best level of my ability, and I feel that I am getting better every year – and I still think that I have a lot of room for improvement,” the Briton notes.

“I feel that I am nowhere near my peak, and that motivates me a lot, because I still see areas where I can improve, and which I believe will further enhance my performance,” concluded George Russell.