F1 drivers are regarded as the best drivers on the planet, undoubtedly. With extreme speed control and agility, there’s nobody else who can match their expertise on track. However, the drivers are only good on the track, not outside of it. George Russell’s father explains.
Talking to The Times UK, Russell Sr. shared his personal experience on why his son is not a better driver than him. Even after being a top F1 driver and driving for Mercedes, where does he fail against Steve Russell, his father?
Russell Sr. said, “The F1 guys are OK on the racetrack, but they are never as good as their dads on normal roads.” He then went on to reveal how his son got terrified and asks him to slow down on approaching a junction.
But the F1 driver’s mother thinks Steve Russell drives absolutely fine when he takes her out for a drive. Much to the surprise and contradiction of the former Williams driver, who’s not really good on roads.
Russell once failed his driving test
Being the great Formula 1 driver that he is, the 25-year-old once failed his driving class. Yes, you read it right, and it was the driver’s father who revealed this astonishing fact.
Speaking on how the Silver Arrows ace is bad at driving on the road, the 67-year-old Briton opened up on a memorable moment. He said that after Russell failed his driving test; he came home fuming.
After returning, he said that the examiner was wrong, as, according to him, being a great driver on track was good enough to qualify. Citing this, the Russell family went to the test center in King’s Lynn so the driver could confront the examiner. But, unfortunately, it didn’t go down well for them.
Steve Russell knew Russell Jr. was going to make it big
The father of the Mercedes driver knew that he was going to make it big in racing one day. Steve Russell and his wife both knew this was coming when the Briton was just two years old.
Russell’s father stated that he was born on the track, came to races to watch his brother race, and used to help out his brother in the garage. All in all, racing was in his DNA.
From there on, George Russell made it big in Formula 1 and arrived at Mercedes. Made a name for himself, defeated the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in his first season with the Silver Arrows, and ultimately made his family proud.
