Legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt is often attributed with the quote “second place is the first loser.”
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell believe second place is actually good for Mercedes
Mercedes sits second in the standings, and their drivers agree that it is a huge accomplishment
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But from their comments this week ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, it seems Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell would disagree.
It is not secret that Red Bull is running away with the 2023 Formula 1 season. Max Verstappen and company sit comfortably in first place in the Constructors’ Championship with 503 points, double the amount of Mercedes, who sit second with 247 points on the season.
Red Bull’s dominance has shifted the conversation from “if” they win their second-straight title, to “when.” Along with questions regarding whether Red Bull can become the first team in F1 history to sweep the season.
However, both Hamilton and Russell believe that the second-place standing from Mercedes is also worthy of praise. During Thursday’s media sessions, both drivers made the case that second place was an amazing feat for the team.
“I think (being P2 currently) is a huge achievement. I think it’s something that’s been a little overlooked if I’m honest,” said Hamilton when speaking to the media in the television pen. “Ultimately because we want to win, there has not been the most positive narrative. But for us to be second in the Constructors’ Championship given where the others started is pretty amazing.”
“I feel like as a team we’ve gone from strength-to-strength this season. Obviously there was a lot of expectation upon us going into the season and perhaps why people are calling our season a bit of a failure,” said Russell during the FIA press conferences. “Of course, it’s far from where we want it to be because we want to be fighting for championships, but to call P2 in the championship, 50 points ahead of P3 at the moment, a failure is far from reality.”
Now that the second half of the season is underway, both drivers have one goal in mind: Keeping the team in second place. “We know we’ve got a lot to improve. We’ve made really good progress and I think going into the second half of the season, we can be there to hopefully pick up any pieces that fall our way. We’ll treat every race as an opportunity,” added Russell on Thursday.
That effort got off to a solid start in FP1, with Russell posting a P11, and Hamilton up at the top of the timing charts with a P3, behind only Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.
“My goal is to make sure the Team keep second in the Constructors’ and hunt down second in the Drivers’ Championship,” added Hamilton on Thursday.
So far, so good.
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