George Russell has managed to earn his status as a driver capable of winning an F1 world championship.
Even though his move from Williams to Mercedes F1 was not accompanied by a continuation of the German team’s good form, with the ground-effect single-seaters, the Briton made his mark and did not collapse against Lewis Hamilton, his seven-time world champion teammate.
Asked by RTBF to reflect on his competitiveness, he replied: “I’m a more complete rider than I was six years ago. But I don’t think I’m faster today than I was ten years ago.”
“You know, you either have the speed or you don’t. Where I’ve improved today is in the way I handle more complicated situations, managing the tires, the traffic, the pressure. You learn to handle these moments better with experience. It’s been two and a half years of hard work, difficult races. We were a bit lost, not in the direction we should be going. And now, finally, after this hard work, since Montreal, pole position, victory in Austria, pole at Silverstone with Lewis, etc. And now, we’re in a good period, but we want more, of course.”
Russell admits he learned a lot from Lewis Hamilton. But what in particular?
“I learned a lot from Lewis on a human level: his way of managing engineers and getting the best out of the team.”
“From a driver’s point of view, we’re all different. For me, it’s always important to find your own path. A comparison I’ve made in the past: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic… they’re all hugely successful in Grand Slams, but they’re different players. You have to find your own path. If you try to copy someone, their style, you’ll never be as good as them. If I tried to drive like Lewis, I’d never be as fast as him. Same thing for Lewis if he tries to do like me. You have to find your own path.”
“There’s a lot of talk about leadership because Lewis is going to leave,” Russell continued.
“But the way I look at racing, the way I drive, I think it’s been my best season in terms of speed. I’m not going to change anything next year. I’m going to build on what I did this year. Lewis and I have the same influence within the team. We have the same level of respect from the whole team. Now that he’s leaving, I hope my future teammate will have the same impact that I have. We’re lucky to be two drivers driving the same car and we need all the information from each driver. The team always has to come first. The team is the one that gives you the opportunity. The team is the one that designs the car, builds the car, puts the wheels on the car. We’re a big piece of that puzzle, but we’re not the only one. At the end of the day, if you do things right as a driver, you can’t be selfish. You qualify on pole, if you get the best start and you’re in the lead, and if you’re the fastest, there will be no problem. Things are in your own hands to avoid being selfish.”
