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“I hope I can do the same as Fernando Alonso”: 17-year-old George Russell hoped to follow career of 2-time World Champion

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"I hope I can do the same as Fernando Alonso": 17-year-old George Russell hoped to follow career of 2-time World Champion

George Russell is one of the most popular and talented drivers in F1 today. The 24-year-old spent the first three years of his career with Williams but moved to Mercedes in 2022. There, he teamed up alongside the legendary Lewis Hamilton, and they hit it off right away. However, an old video of Russell shows that he idolized Fernando Alonso a lot during his junior career.

Alonso is arguably one of the all-time greats in F1. He has two World Championships to his name, which he won during his Renault stint back in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Since then, he has driven for McLaren, and Ferrari and has had further spells at Alpine (formerly Renault). Unfortunately, he failed to add more Title wins to his name.

In a recent video that is being circulated online, a 17-year-old Russell talks about Alonso, and how much he admires him. Russell praised the Spaniard’s ability to maximize the potential of any car at his disposal and admitted that he hopes that he follows in his footsteps.

“He’s always performed,” Russell said. “No matter what car he’s been in. “I hope I can do the same as him, and hopefully I’ll be in as good, or a better car, and hopefully I’ll be very successful.”

Also read: “It took us so long”: Mick Schumacher was considered to drive in 2023 for long time reveals Haas boss

George Russell and Fernando Alonso party hard ahead of the New Year

On the 31st of December, Russell posted a picture of himself and Alonso partying hard, with cigars in their mouth! It seems as though the two have formed a great relationship in their short time together in the sport so far.

Today, Russell is considered to be one of the most talented drivers in F1. During the three years he spent at Williams, he couldn’t show anyone how good he was because of the team’s poor mechanical package. However, with his arrival in Mercedes, he showed everyone his consistency and skill and even managed to finish ahead of Hamilton in the standings.

Alonso meanwhile, had a difficult year with Alpine. He had the pace, as was evident in most Grand Prixs, but reliability issues limited his charge up the field, and tensions between Alonso and the team grew every week. When Sebastian Vettel announced that he would retire after the 2022 season, Alonso didn’t waste time in signing for Aston Martin as his replacement.

The 41-year-old has signed a multi-year contract with the Silverstone-based outfit and is showing no signs of slowing down in spite of his age.

Also read: Fernando Alonso promotes his new $192,000 company car at his own racetrack

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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