Mark Webber thinks that the experience of George Russell in the sport has made him strong to be a match for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Mercedes has signed George Russell as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate from the 2022 season. Russell has made a step up to the Brackley-based team from Williams, where he spent three years.
At Williams, the 23-year-old usually drove at the back of the field. However, former Red Bull driver, Mark Webber, thinks that he has gained enough experience to adapt to the racing at the front.
Pointing to how Hamilton quickly adapted to the change in his rookie season in 2007, Webber said that drivers don’t always need time to get used to it.
“Going up against Lewis will be extremely challenging,” Webber told Formel Austria. “But George has almost 50 races under his belt now, so he’s ready for it.
“Lewis went straight to the front, which shows his calibre – only very special drivers can do that. 99 per cent of the guys need a few races to get used to the idea of being upfront.”
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George Russell has to be mentally prepared
Although Webber believes that the most difficult task for Russell would be to mentally adjust to the different expectations of driving at the front.
The Australian driver said, “George is ready for it, but it’s different than qualifying well in an underperforming car and doing well when there’s a little pressure.”
“George will know there will be a huge shift in intensity that comes with the expectation of qualifying for the front row every week and finishing every race in the top spots,” he further added.
The former driver also singled out Fernando Alonso and praised him as he becomes the oldest driver on the grid. Webber said that you don’t want Alonso either in front or at the back of your car. He has his ways to apply pressure in unconventional ways.
“Fernando drives well; the guy’s still a bit of a magician. He’s still very, very good. Let’s see how next year goes with the new car; it will be interesting. If Alpine brings a rocket, he could be dangerous.”
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