mobile app bar

At 14 George Russell made extreme academic sacrifice to be $16 million F1 star

Somin Bhattacharjee
Published

At 14 George Russell made extreme academic sacrifice to be $16 million F1 star

George Russell is one of the most popular and talented F1 drivers today. The 24-year-old made his debut in 2019 with Williams and has shown everyone how good he is since then. In just his first season, he out-qualified veteran driver Robert Kubica (his teammate) in every single race. However, he could not do much with a sub-par mechanical package at Williams.

In 2022, he finally completed his dream move to Mercedes and won his first-ever F1 race this November. He is often labeled as a future World Champion and is set to achieve huge things in the coming years with the right car at his helm. Everyone knows about Russell’s success and rise in recent years but his struggles and sacrifices to reach there is not something that’s well known.

In an interview with High Performance, the Kings-Lynn-born driver talked about his childhood and how he got into F1. He started by talking about his brother and how he was extremely talented in go-karting. Unfortunately for him, he entered the sport too late so he could not make it into F1. Thereafter, he also admitted to learning a lot from mistakes made by him and his family members and revealed the things he gave up to reach F1 someday.

Also read: “He won world championships”: George Russell reveals why his brother couldn’t become F1 driver despite having talent

George Russell had second thoughts about leaving school at the age of 14

Russell revealed that he left school at the age of 14, and while he knew that was something he had to do, it still gave him mixed thoughts. However, he did acknowledge the fact that it was easier to make those sacrifices at that age.

“I left school when I was fourteen,” he said. “And as I was growing up, when I was fifteen, sixteen or seventeen, I had a few mixed feelings about that. I was pursuing my dream and felt very fortunate and grateful that I was getting an opportunity.”

Despite getting the chance to fight for his dream, Russell did miss out on the life that a teenager usually enjoys. This is something that he regrets about his years spent in the junior racing circuit. “I felt like I was missing a bit of a social life,” Russell added. “I saw the friends who I had at school then having fun and enjoying themselves.”

However, Russell also realizes that if he had those friends around him at the time, he would not have gone onto become a race winner in F1. The 24-year-old is now a $16 million worth star in the sport and is hoping to compete for the World Title in 2023.

Also read: “Jumping into race seat was not right thing for me”: Daniel Ricciardo on why he left $5 million in 2023

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

x-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

Share this article