“Pressure has been sort of lifted off my shoulders”– George Russell earned leverage allowing him to take risks

George Russell grabbing points for Williams allows him to take risks and push his car to the limits with their rivals lagging.

George Russell, after two years with Williams, managed to earn his first points with the team. His Belgian Grand Prix podium makes the situation even more pleasing.

remember when george russell pic.twitter.com/cWEyFsCdhu

— evie⁶³ LANCE DAY (@63DUNBAR) October 25, 2021

With Williams sitting at P8 in the constructors’ standings, Russell has the cushion to take risks and push the car to the limits. With the following best to them, Alfa Romeo is 16 points behind.

“I think the pressure has been lifted off my shoulders for a while now for these first laps,” he said. “And I have more confidence to attack it and go for it. P20 to P14 was a strong start for me.

“And I think, in this position now, where we are in the championship. We’ve got this small buffer it’s allowing me to go out there and really push the limits.”

“I’m quite enjoying it to be honest. I’m not a driver who usually makes a huge amount of mistakes. But I’ve wanted to push myself out there, and we saw an off in FP3. We saw a little off in qualifying in Zandvoort.”

“And I’m just trying to really push the limit just to see if there is more in there in these last few races. But I think I’ve been sort of reaffirming my strategy of you don’t need to be driving 110% to get the most out of the car, sometimes you only go slower.”

Also read: “He showed why we wanted to get him”- McLaren boss is delighted with sudden comeback by Daniel Ricciardo in 2021

Mercedes announcement also makes George Russell relaxed

With the 23-year-old race driver set to join Mercedes in 2022, his future is sorted. Thus, it is keeping him calm while challenging his counterparts on the track.

“Just less pressure. I think the fact that we are in a position of relative comfort in the constructors’ championship. And also on a personal level, everything was confirmed for next year.

“I’m in a very stable position personally. And just able to go out there and try new things and not afraid to make some mistakes. It’s a similar position to one I found myself in 2019.”

“When I can go out there and just try new things and keep trying to build that toolbox to improve, and like I said, being in a position where I’m not scared to make mistakes.”

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About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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