Russell feels he’s “performing better than ever” despite points deficit

Russell sits eighth in the F1 2023 drivers’ championship, 75 points behind Hamilton with six rounds to go.

DNFs in Australia, Canada and Singapore have exacerbated the gap - although, Russell was to blame for failing to finish in the latter two. 

In terms of pure performance, Hamilton and Russell are one of the most evenly-matched teammate pairings on the grid, with the pair often separated by less than a tenth.

Reflecting on the season, Russell acknowledged there has been “a lot of missed opportunities”.

“It’s just been a lot of missed opportunities and stuff we learned from,” Russell told The Athletic.

“But in terms of pure performance, I think I’m performing better than ever.

“I’m really happy with how I’ve been working with my team and have been delivering, and how I’m also bouncing back from some difficult races.”

Russell’s performances alongside Hamilton has earned him a contract extension, keeping him with the team until the end of 2025.

“We don’t need a 10-year or five-year or three-year deal to show that commitment,” he added.

“It’s clear that we’re in this together. We spoke about signing a contract for a much longer duration.”