George Russell is prepared to sacrifice performance in the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season if it means Mercedes can set itself up for a stronger 2025.
Although Mercedes has shown signs of competitiveness this year, inconsistency and performance swings have made them the fourth force behind McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull.
Now, with budget constraints becoming a bigger issue, the Brackley-based team is facing a difficult balancing act.
"We've had some big crashes in recent weeks," Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted in Mexico. "We are slowly getting into serious trouble."
The most recent incident involved Russell crashing heavily during Friday's practice, just days after his big impact in Austin. Wolff said: "All the teams are struggling to stay within the budget cap, but we've had some bad ones lately – Kimi (Antonelli) in Monza, George in Texas, now George again here."
Because of the crash, Russell had to revert to an older floor specification, but despite the challenges, he isn't as worried about the budget issues as Wolff.
"There's no concern about the budget because we always have a little bit of margin, and we always evaluate what we put into this season compared to what we will put into the next season," Russell explained.
The 26-year-old Briton is even open to a strategy of maintaining the old floor if it means Mercedes can focus on 2025 development. "We may have to compromise for the rest of the season, which to be honest I would probably be fine with because we are not fighting for the championship. I would be more than happy to keep the old floor on now if it gives us a better chance for next year," he added.
Russell remains optimistic, declaring: "It should be fine in Brazil."
