Despite Making It Big, George Russell Confesses to Being Green With Envy at His Best Friend: “It Was Definitely Frustrating”

The 2018 F1 season saw the incredible rise of not one but three future stars: George Russell, Lando Norris, and Alex Albon. Russell won the F2 championship that year and made it into the big leagues with a contract with Williams. Despite the championship win and a subsequent contract in F1, Russell revealed he was jealous of Albon while appearing in an interview with F1 TV.

Williams has become a much-improved team in 2023, currently sitting in 7th place with 21 points to their name. However, back in 2019, things were much different as they had the worst car on the grid. The team finished dead last in the constructor’s championship in 2019 with only one point (courtesy of Robert Kubica) to their name. Russell finished the year with 0 points.

George Russell admits to being jealous of Alex Albon

Appearing alongside the ‘F2 Class of 2018,’ Russell sat down for an interview with F1 for their YouTube channel alongside Norris and Albon. Here, they talked about memories from their time together in F2 and what it was like when they each got their F1 contracts.

Discussing the same, Norris asked Russell a question that read- “You won the F2 title but then had the least competitive car to start with. Was there any jealousy towards the others?”

“Yeah, a bit. Especially with this guy (pointing towards Albon.)”

“I remember the first face getting lapped three times qualifying three and a half seconds of pole in Australia three times. I don’t know, it was definitely frustrating.”

Starting his F1 career with Williams gave Russell a much-needed foundation to be able to get into the groove of things at the premier level. Going from Williams to Mercedes filled the Briton with confidence that he was on the right path, and once he settled in, he secured podiums and wins with the team, making him and Hamilton one of the most competitive driver duos on the grid.

Meanwhile, a rookie Albon had to face the full wrath of F1 from race one as he drove a Red Bull car alongside Max Verstappen- something that only looked good on the outside.

Alex Albon did not have the best time at Red Bull

As Russell pointed out, he was jealous of Albon during the interview, but the Thai driver interjected as he said, “I don’t think that was a good thing.” Even earlier this month, Albon had a fresh and honest take on his time in Red Bull as he told Sky Sports F1 that he didn’t feel ready for the move but had to take it regardless.

Ted Kravitz reacted to the statement by calling Albon “too nice.” Now driving for Williams, Albon is enjoying the best phase of his F1 career, giving tough competition to the middle park despite a not-so-competitive car.

Having left Red Bull after not meeting their expectations, one would hope the terms between the driver and his former team principal would be sour. Contrary to popular belief, the two share a good friendship, with Horner often messaging Albon “good job” after a race. Having gone down very different paths over the last few years, the two have not gone far from each other.