Mercedes AMG Petronas driver George Russell is preparing for the new Formula One season

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One driver George Russell is preparing for the ‘most intense year of his life’ as he begins the 2022 season with his new team.

The Formula One season begins this weekend and former Wisbech Grammar School student Russell – who hails from Tydd St Giles – will be hoping to challenge for race wins with the eight-time Constructors’ champions Mercedes.

In his new campaign, Russell will be aiming to build on his success last year where he scored 16 of his 19 career points, also his first with his former team Williams.

In his most successful season yet, Russell gained his first career podium at the historically wet Belgian Grand Prix and also scored seven points at other races across the campaign.

As the first race of the season is to be held at the Bahrain International Circuit, Russell will hope to improve on his previous race there with Mercedes.

In 2020, Russell scored his first career points after replacing Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes when he contracted coronavirus.

Rusell looked to be set for victory until a mix up during the pit stops and a puncture meant the best he could manage was ninth: “Losing that victory will make me a stronger driver,” he stated.

Speaking in advance of the new season, Russell wants to make an impression on the sport, saying: “I want to look back in 20 years and say ‘that was an incredibly strong career. This season will be the most intense year of my life.”

Recently, Mercedes has made an appearance at pre-season testing with a revolutionary design that does away with substantial side-pods.

This is supposed to improve down-force but has exacerbated an issue that has been plaguing the new cars.

The 2022 Formula One cars work on a principle from the seventies known as ‘ground effect’ where the down-force comes from sucking the car down to the ground rather than intricate wings and barge-boards.

This creates an issue known as ‘porpoising’ where the cars bounce along the straights which has become a particular problem for Mercedes, with Russell commenting: “It’s not the most comfortable in all honesty.”

Despite winning the Constructors’ Championship eight years in a row, Mercedes does not seem to have the performance to match its rivals at the moment, with Russell coming fourth on day three of testing.

He commented: “At the moment the performance isn’t there and we are a step behind our rivals.”

However, as has happened in previous years, Russell believes that Mercedes could turn it around.

He added: “There’s potential there but we just need to find out a way to unlock that performance.”