“The whole team deserve it”– George Russell bags his career-first podium courtesy to his incredible qualifying performance.
George Russell had his star aligned at the right places, as the underdog seals his career-first podium after the race got suspended due to severe rain, and F1 decided to keep the final standings obtained from the four laps the drivers drove behind the safety car.
The authorities also decided to give the drivers half-points according to their positions, which means Max Verstappen, the race winner, got 12.5 points instead of 25.
However, the man of the hour is Russell, who, despite all the odds, gave a majestic performance in the qualifying, which in hindsight became the biggest reason for his podium with Williams.
“Of course now in hindsight it was very important to get that pole position. It’s a big shame to not do proper laps, but the conditions were very tricky out there. I said at 3.30 pm ‘let’s go’, I think the conditions were decent but the visibility was very low.”
“I think if we would have started at 3 pm we would have had a better chance but, nevertheless, after that it just stayed really wet and it kept raining.”
“It’s a win but not how you want to win. Today a big credit goes to all the fans around the track for staying here the whole day in the rain, the cold, windy conditions. They are actually the bigger winners today.”
It means the world to Williams
Last year, Williams failed to score even a point in the season, but now, with only half of the season over, they have 20 points in the bank, gaining a comprehensive advantage over their rivals Alfa Romeo and Haas.
Though this result is obviously not a testament to their abilities, Williams has gained a considerable pace on a single lap, which is only a positive sign.
