“I’m not here to score points”: How George Russell overcame insecurity of seeing Alex Albon and Lando Norris getting early breakthroughs in points

Tanish Chachra | 02/12/2022
"I'm not here to score points": How George Russell overcame insecurity of seeing Alex Albon and Lando Norris getting early breakthroughs in points

George Russell is among the new-generation drivers who got into F1 around 2017-2019. The British driver also entered F1 at the same time his compatriots Alex Albon and Lando Norris entered F1.

Despite beating them in the F2 championship, Russell saw himself in the most inferior car on the grid, Williams. Meanwhile, Albon initially joined Toro Rosso and soon found himself at Red Bull.

On the other hand, Norris had a better start. He found himself directly in McLaren, on an upward trajectory when he joined. So while Russell waited more than two years to score his first F1 points, Norris and Albon were getting podiums.

So, naturally, Russell felt frustrated seeing people finishing behind him in the feeder series getting better resources. Only now, in his fourth year, the Briton got a car that could compete for the podiums.

Also read: Ex F1 champion doesn’t think Max Verstappen would continue dominating in 2023

How George Russell brushed his thoughts

Russell reveals that he was getting upset with his being at the bottom while his contemporaries scored points and went for podiums. But in the end, he told himself something that made him brush the envy and focus on his skill.

“I thought that even though they’re finishing the points and they’re scoring podiums, I am not here to score points or podiums, I’m here to win and I want to win,” said Russell on High Performance podcast.

Russell also revealed that he realized after a point that all three of them were on a journey, and considering he was and still is associated with Mercedes, he knew his time would come.

Russell is nearest to the championship

The Briton, in 2022, finally got his full season with Mercedes. Though the Silver Arrows slipped in performances in his debut year with them, they were no longer a championship-contending side.

However, next season hopes are high from them, and they are expected to make a comeback in 2023. Russell has constantly proved that with the right resources, he can achieve things and maximizes every opportunity. Even with the W13, he finished P4 in the championship.

So, if Mercedes gives him a car that is on par with Ferrari and Red Bull, Russell can compete for the title. That makes him nearest to a championship win than Albon or Norris ever have been in their careers.

Also read: George Russell seeing his dad working 12-hour a day to fund his career prompted him to contact Toto Wolff

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
George Russell Mercedes

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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