George Russell, who is set to serve Mercedes from 2022 onwards, thinks it will be the most hectic year of his life because of added duties.
George Russell will be racing for Mercedes in 2022 as he replaces Valtteri Bottas at the Silver Arrows. The Briton was serving Williams for the last three years before that, and according to him, life was simpler there.
And coming into Mercedes, he thinks he will have more obligations and stress. He explains that it will be on track expectations and off-track commercial activities that will take a toll on him.
“I think I am going to take a good holiday at the start of the year,” Russell said. “I believe that is important because I think next year will be the most intense year of my life in terms of the racing schedule, but also from an off-track and marketing side of things.
“Going from Williams, where I have been pretty fortunate in a way, not having to do so many marketing activities just because of the nature of the position we’ve been in, to Mercedes, where we’ve got tons of sponsors and lots of commitments that drivers need to tend to.
“This will also be off the back of COVID. With all the drivers and the teams, it will all ramp up because the partners have missed out on 18 months’ worth of activation.
“From a racing side and off-track side, it is going to be incredibly intense. So January, [I will] take 10 days off, a nice holiday, reset and then hit the ground running mid-to-end of January, then put everything on the table and go for it.”
George Russell feels privileged to be with the ‘best ever’
Russell will be partnering with his compatriot and a person he idolized in his younger days. Speaking about serving Mercedes with him, he feels it’s a privilege.
“Teaming up with Lewis is obviously incredibly exciting. I am in a privileged position to be in to go alongside the best ever. It is an amazing opportunity to again progress myself as a driver and see how I fare.”
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