“There’s no doubt that Lewis had the best car”– George Russell

“There’s no doubt that Lewis had the best car”– George Russell talks about driving in Mercedes last year and his experience in W11.

George Russell was approached by Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton for the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain last year, while the latter was recovering from COVID-19.

Though, Russell, a misfit in the car, as it was designed according to Hamilton’s height, still managed to give a massive battle in one of the most dramatic races of the year, talked about his experience in the car.

“I believe in myself and I’m ready to fight for wins and championships,” he told Autocar. “That was a huge challenge and I was thrown in at the deep end without any preparation,” Russell continued.

“That did prove how difficult it is to change cars and get up to speed. The weekend went well, but I don’t think I maximized my performance. That’s normal when you try something new.”

Incorrect to say Hamilton’s success is only because of a fast car

Russell further admitted that Hamilton has the fastest car in the paddock for the last couple of years but also opined that usually, the fastest driver only gets the fastest car.

“The best drivers are usually in the best car,” said the Williams driver. “There’s no doubt that Lewis had the best car the last couple of years, but in tricky conditions he’s the one who doesn’t drop the ball and can sometimes pull something out of the bag.”

Hamilton dominated the entire season with W11 and registered 11 wins and 14 wins out of the 16 races he participated in last year, making him seal the world title with a lead of 124 points.

However, things are different this year, as Red Bull is dominating the championship after nine races this year so far, with 14 more to go.

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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