“F1 is ruthless” – George Russell admits road to F1 was ‘a lot harder’ than he thought

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell admits he lost interest in pursuing a career in F1 due to the immense competition and lack of opportunities.

George Russell is enjoying a purple streak in his F1 career. The Mercedes driver has finished in top 5 in 10 of the first 11 races of 2022.

Ahead of the French Gp, Russell stands 5th in the Driver’s championship. He has 3 podium finishes and has even challenged 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton on most weekends.

It might be hard to believe that this is Russell’s rookie year at Mercedes. Because the Brit has adapted to the competitive environment and demands of his new team seamlessly.

But his determination to perform stems from his early days of racing. Russell started professional karting at the age of 12. He developed a reputation in the karting scene and always aimed to become an F1 driver.

George said, “Motorsport was our life. And we knew it. If we wanted to make it to Formula One, that we had to give everything we had.”

 

His father, Steve ran a small peas and beans business in Norfolk. Steve eventually sold the business to fund George’s racing ambitions. The Russells had faced financial troubles in the initial years.

But the family encouraged his passion for racing. He was even homeschooled along with his siblings. Eventually, Mercedes came knocking and signed up Russell in their junior driver programme in 2017.

He adds, “Doing the homeschooling just made it a lot more flexible for us. We were able to focus on the races whenever they came up.”

Also Read: Valtteri Bottas praises George Russell for taking the fight to former Mercedes teammate

George Russell admits lack of opportunities in F1

After winning F2 and F3 championships in his rookie season, George Russell entered F1 with Williams. He spent 3 seasons with the team before making the switch to Mercedes in 2022. He replaced the outgoing Valtteri Bottas.

But Russell admits he almost lost interest in the sport at one point. He said, “It started to fade away a bit when I was around 16. I thought: ‘This is going to be a lot harder than I first thought’.”

F1 is notorious for its extremely small circle. A lot of talents graduate by winning championships every year. But with only 20 seats on the grid, not everyone gets a chance to race in F1.

“There are so many opportunities in other sports. In motorsport, there are not.” He adds, “For every great driver that comes into Formula One, another great driver has to leave. It’s ruthless.”

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton believes George Russell is a champion in the making