Despite a successful F3 and F2 campaign, a lot of grit, hard work, and patience went into George Russell becoming an F1 star. As Toto Wolff made Russell a promise of sorting everything out if he continued performing well, the test of time began. A three-year contract with Williams- the worst team on the grid at the time- was the challenge in front of F1 rookie George Russell before he became the man who would give Lewis Hamilton a tough time in Mercedes.
Wolff kept each of the promises he made to Russell following the famous PowerPoint presentation from the young British driver. The first promise was that if Russell won the GP3, he would get to test drive an F1 car. As he won the title, Russell earned two F1 practice sessions with Force India. The next promise came when Mercedes asked him to win the F2 title, and in return, he would earn an F1 seat. Thus came Williams, but not without drama.
George Russell had to endure for three years before becoming a ‘big-league’ driver
Having accomplished all the tasks given by Mercedes and Wolff, the time came for Russell to earn a well-deserved seat in F1. Williams emerged as premier contenders to sign the Briton, but The Athletic reports Claire Williams (then Deputy Team Principal) had an airtight contract for him, which meant a Mercedes switch wouldn’t be as close as he’d hoped.
“It was a really challenging deal. Claire really had us by the balls.”
When Russell joined Williams, he was driving the slowest car on the grid. The Briton would finish his rookie season with 0 points and admitted to feeling like he wasn’t competing in the same sport as the other drivers. The following year, things got a little better, but only so much, as Russell could pick up three points from the entire season. 2021 stood as his best season with Williams when he brought home 16 points while also winning his first-ever podium finish. In a covid-hit era, Russell replaced Lewis Hamilton for the second race in Bahrain following Williams’ permission. Wearing shoes a size smaller than his, Russell might have won the race if it wasn’t for a botched pitstop and a subsequent puncture. While Russell did not win the race, he did win the hearts of Mercedes execs enough to bring him on board for the 2022 season.
The rookie season was far from ideal for Russell
Entering the F1 realm as an F3 and F2 champion, one would expect the biggest of teams to line up with offers for them. However, things were vastly different for Russell, whose best shot came from the worst team on the grid. Meanwhile, Lando Norris and Alex Albon, both runner-ups behind Russell in F2 that year, got much more lucrative offers from McLaren and Red Bull, respectively. The season became even more difficult for Russell as he felt a tinge of jealousy of his mates, especially Albon.
George Russell described his Grand Prix as a “race of survival”, and one of his worst experiences with Williams in F1 since 2019. pic.twitter.com/B5hnYRyBAe
— formularacers (@formularacers_) May 3, 2021
Speaking candidly alongside Norris and Albon, Russell admitted to feeling jealous of Albon when the three of them came to F1. The misery would pile on when Russell would get lapped during races. However, the unwavering spirit of the Briton made sure he never let the adversities get the better of him. He soon became a Mercedes driver and outperformed Hamilton in his first year with the team. Earning his first-ever F1 win, Russell finished the year in P4 in the driver’s standings with 275 points.
