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George Russell thinks one will only face disappointment if they enter every race thinking of beating Lewis Hamilton

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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George Russell thinks one will only face disappointment if they enter every race thinking of beating Lewis Hamilton

George Russell spent three years as a Mercedes junior at the Williams racing team before finally making his way into the Brackley-based team taking a seat next to Lewis Hamilton.

In an interview with F1 journalist Chris Medland, Russell admitted that he was not naive in judging the environment he was entering heading into the Silver Arrows’ camp.

Competing against Hamilton has proven to be a mentally toll-taking task in the past for many drivers and the 24-year-old was not unaware of the fact.

He had a sit down with himself and admit that statistically, he had outscored his teammates 95% of the time. Partnering with Hamilton, even if stats are 55/45 in Russell’s favour, would be hugely successful because it would be against the 7-time world champion.

Also Read: George Russell reveals he was mentally struggling in the latter part of the season

Beating Lewis Hamilton all the time is not going to happen

Going up against the best of F1 racing, Russell prepared himself for small failures. He knew that he won’t be able to beat Hamilton in every single session, qualifying or race, “that’s just absolutely not going to happen,” he said.

The 24-year-old further added that he never doubted himself, his own potential though. He always believed in himself but admitted that it is always about the mindset.

If a driver goes with the mindset of beating Lewis Hamilton 95% of the time, they will only come back with disappointment, Russell explained.

George Russell has impressed the tracks

The young Briton prepared himself psychologically as he headed into a new journey of his F1 career next to Hamilton.

The W13 saw the Mercedes’ dominance come to an end and also blew the chances of Hamilton’s record 8th title away.

Nevertheless, in his first year as a full-time driver with the Silver Arrows, Russell had to impress his bosses and he did.

As the 2022 campaign concluded, the 24-year-old finished P4 with 275 points while Hamilton could only score 240 and land himself in P6.

Also Read: $400 billion platform declares fastest driver between Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton & Ayrton Senna

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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