Russell convinced Mercedes “mistakes” have put them “on the right path” for '24

After a disappointing year in 2022 by Mercedes’ high standards, winning just one race, they went into this season with a lot of optimism.

However, they started F1 2023 on the backfoot, leaving the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix with the fourth-fastest car.

Since then, Mercedes have steadily improved, sitting comfortably second in the F1 constructors’ championship ahead of Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Speaking ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Russell is convinced Mercedes have learned from their mistakes. 

“Yeah, I think we've made some good gains this season,” he said. “In all honesty, there'll be a few more little little things to come towards the end of the season, which will aid our learning into next season. 

“I think it's clear that we made some mistakes ahead of the 2022 season and again over this winter. But definitely confident that these mistakes are going to aid us and help us a lot for the future. And you know, you need those setbacks. 

“You need those errors to set you in the right path. And I think you as a team were incredibly motivated to get back to the top and as I said, I think the lessons we've learned over these two years will only help us in the years to come.”

Mercedes have typically performed better on high downforce circuits, with Singapore expected to suit the W14.

Assessing Mercedes’ chances this weekend, Russell said: “Last year we had a really fast car and unfortunately didn't make the most of it during the weekend, but I think it's so close at the moment between ourselves Ferrari and McLaren, Aston Martin are fluctuating in performance. 

“Hopefully we can close the gap slightly on Red Bull here on the high downforce circuit. 

“So I think it is that battle for P2 on the road but you’re going to have to nail every single detail because it's going to be by the smallest of margins.”