The moment Russell realised Mercedes would struggle in 2023

After a disappointing year by Mercedes’ high standards in 2022, taking just one win, Mercedes went into 2023 with greater optimism.

However, it was apparent from pre-season testing that Mercedes would start the year on the backfoot.

Mercedes left the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix as the fourth-fastest team as they were overtaken by customer’s Aston Martin.

Reflecting on the moment of realisation, Russell said: “I think the first time you realise is when you look at the lap times. 

“You drive around the track, the car can sometimes feel great, but the lap times aren't representing the feeling and vice versa. 

“I'm sure there's, even for championship-winning cars, they may not also feel perfect. We're just driving around at a slightly higher pace. 

“So I think it was when we saw that the lap times weren't translating into what we expected."

With Mercedes slipping down the pecking order, Russell admitted the team immediately looked towards future upgrades.

"Aston Martin clearly made a big jump, and we hadn't made the jump that we were expecting and needed to make changes quick," he added.

"So it was literally straight after the very first test in Bahrain. 

"We were already planning towards the changes that are being implemented, in Monaco and [in Spain]."