By the end of the 2021 season, while actively searching for a replacement for Alex Albon, Red Bull reportedly offered a seat to George Russell even after Toto Wolff didn’t give them permission. As per the March ’21 edition of BusinessF1, Russell caught the eye of Red Bull after putting in a scintillating performance at the 2020 Sakhir GP as Mercedes’ stand-in driver. However, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit finally decided to sign Sergio Perez, offering him $5,000,000 a season to partner up with Max Verstappen.
According to the report, Helmut Marko denied rumors about Red Bull approaching Russell. However, BusinessF1 claims otherwise. The F1 magazine claims that they received confirmation from insider sources that Red Bull did go ahead with the talks, but after a conversation with Toto Wolff, were asked to back off.
GP do Sakhir – 2020
🇬🇧 George Russell vs. 🇫🇮 Valtteri Bottas pic.twitter.com/9TsOMZcmny
— Ultrapassagens e disputas na F1 (@F1Tododia) January 29, 2022
The Red Bull Management weren’t the only people who were impressed by Russell’s performance during the Sakhir GP that year. With Hamilton sitting out due to Covid, Russell got his first opportunity to prove his worth in a competitive car after struggling with Williams for two years.
He grabbed that opportunity with both hands, qualifying P2, behind Bottas. During the race, Russell made some amazing overtakes even though his race was ruined by a pit-stop mishap by the Mercedes crew and then a late puncture to his right rear tire. Even though he finished down in P9, his skills had already caught the eye of the world.
George Russell was Red Bull’s first choice
By the end of the 2020 season, Red Bull had already decided that they would sack Albon. The British-Thai driver failed to match Verstappen in an equal car and Red Bull wanted a more competitive second driver, who could act as a wingman to Verstappen, much like what Bottas was to Hamilton during the time.
As per BusinessF1, Russell was the first choice for Red Bull to replace Albon. By then, they made it clear that they were comfortable going outside their academy to search for fresher talents.
Alex Albon in his Red Bull RB16 – Honda RA620H at the Hungaroring. #F1 2020 #HungarianGP (Photo: @HondaRacingF1) pic.twitter.com/Dc9Buqode1
— Zdravko (@zdravkost) July 19, 2023
BusinessF1 claims that Red Bull did try to talk to George Russell about the possibility of him joining them. However, Wolff did not want Russell to leave the Mercedes structure for even a year. If Wolff had not stopped the move, could would have been a Red Bull driver, teaming up with Max Verstappen.
Russell turned out to be a good choice for Mercedes
In the end, Red Bull decided to recruit Sergio Perez, the eventual winner of the Sakhir Grand Prix. Perez was left without a seat after Racing Point sacked him at the end of 2020. This was despite him putting in several brilliant performances for the team.
As for George Russell, he got the call-up to Mercedes as soon as the 2022 season started. The Brit replaced Valtteri Bottas and teamed up with Lewis Hamilton. Unfortunately for Russell, Mercedes’ dominant era had ended as they struggled to find their footing under the new regulations.
📊 | Red Bull have won 20 of the last 21 races.
The only driver to beat the Red Bulls during this period?@GeorgeRussell63, in Brazil last year
🔥🔥 #F1 #GR63 pic.twitter.com/QfiLntGMv6
— Team George Russell (@TeamGR63) July 19, 2023
Since then, Russell has bee putting in some strong performances for the German team. He claimed the only victory for Mercedes in the disappointing 2022 season with his win in Sao Paolo. He also managed to beat Hamilton by 35 points in his debut season. As of now, almost halfway into the 2023 season, Russell currently trails his teammate by 43 points.
