George Russell after a long service to Williams is finally getting a chance in Mercedes, but the last time he competed for them, it disappointed him.
George Russell came in to serve Mercedes in 2020 when Lewis Hamilton was diagnosed with COVID-19. Then Williams driver was set to drive W11 in the Sakhir GP.
After spending two years without gaining any point in F1, Russell had the direct shot at a win or a podium at least. However, some series of unfortunate mistakes by his team made him lose the prospect of celebrating on the grandstand.
GR63. 🔥 @GeorgeRussell63 pic.twitter.com/fEAiCYOuGd
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) January 19, 2022
Now, around more than a year of that incident, Russell has progressed massively. He will no longer drive as a substitute for Mercedes, but as a regular driver. Talking about it Russell reveals that from that race, he learnt some harsh truths.
“I think people who have it easy throughout their career, throughout their life, when they do face these disappointments, they struggle to deal with it, and probably aren’t able to bounce back as quickly.
“And that’s why I’m grateful that I’ve been in this position on a number of occasions, to make me more resilient. I would have loved to have won that race [Sakhir 2020], but that’s not what I want my career to be remembered by.”
Also read: F1 expert thinks George Russell’s arrival could pose a problem for Lewis Hamilton
George Russell aims for a strong to career
Going into the fourth season of his F1 career, Russell seems to have a guaranteed long future in the sport. Though, he needs to deliver consistently at this stage of his career. Seeing this, the Briton expects a strong career ahead.
“I want to be the most complete driver possible and I want to look back in 20 years time and say ‘that was an incredibly strong career, every single outcome had a reason behind it and that made me a stronger driver’.”
“I believe that race in Bahrain, losing that victory, will make me a stronger driver. In a way, it would have been too much of a fairytale to have won and I probably wouldn’t have appreciated the achievement if that had happened.”
Also read: George Russell clarifies he will not be studying Lewis Hamilton ahead of his Mercedes debut
