“Would have been a little bit too easy”: George Russell feels he didn’t deserve to win in Bahrain

George Russell has been associated with Mercedes since the age of 17. Before driving for Mercedes, the Brit represented Williams for over three years when he entered F1.

He waited for his time and now at Mercedes has defeated Lewis Hamilton in his maiden year with the Silverrows. However, 2022 didn’t give him his first race with the Brackley-beased-team.

In 2020, Hamilton was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the Sakhir Grand Prix. Russell replaced him for that one solo race and gave in a brilliant performance, overpowering his soon-to-be predecessor, Valtteri Bottas.

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George Russell didn’t deserve to win at Bahrain

In his standalone performance for Mercedes, Russell was only inches away from his first F1 win. Before that, he didn’t even score his first career F1 points, and with an immediate win on his Mercedes debut, it would have given an extraordinary movie script.

However, a few blunders by the Mercedes crew slipped Russell dramatically in the standings. The Briton seemed devastated after he failed to win the race. But in hindsight, he thinks it would have been too easy for him.

“I think in a way it would have been a little bit too easy and a bit strange to have won my first race in that manner. Coming in last minute, jumping in and winning the race… of course, it would have made for a great story, but I didn’t necessarily fight for it,” said Russell to RACER.

Nice one! 👏🏆🏆@GeorgeRussell63 won ‘Moment of the Year’ at last night’s #AutosportAwards, for his victory in Brasil! 💚💛

Meanwhile @LewisHamilton picked up the ‘British Competition Driver of the Year’ award 💪 pic.twitter.com/Os2LAul2pg

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 5, 2022

The Brazilian success is sweeter

Russell, in 2022, finally managed to have his first win while competing in Brazil. Mercedes was nowhere near its former best and didn’t even win a race in the season before visiting Brazil.

Thus, his win for the team displayed all the hardships, determination and dedication to be at the top. With this, he even showed that once Mercedes reaches back to its usual level, Russell can play the protagonist for them.

The 2023 season can be exciting if Mercede improves back. That way, the F1 contest for the championship could be a three-horse race between Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Also read: Max Verstappen plans on competing in endurance racing ventures after retiring from F1

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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