George Russell believes that there is a lot of respect between him and Lewis with whom he will race in the 2022 season.
It will not be the first time that George Russell would be driving Mercedes. He first tested the Mercedes W08 for the team back in 2017 in Hungary and then in 2020 he filled in for Lewis Hamilton in Sakhir Grand Prix.
Now, though, he will ride alongside Lewis Hamilton in the 2022 season. He has already been testing the new Mercedes car for the 2022 season as their official driver. Going forward, he made his feeling clear for his teammate and laid out their partnership plan.
🗣”I’ve had races where I’ve had victories taken away from me, but twice?”
A heartbroken @GeorgeRussell63 reflects on his #SakhirGP, after a Mercedes pit stop error and late puncture cost him a near certain victory.
Report from Sakhir GP: https://t.co/E3L3V31O3W pic.twitter.com/5BhkfScSdO
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 6, 2020
Russell told the F1 Nation podcast, “I think there’s a lot of respect between Lewis and me. I think we’re in very different stages of our careers.”
“Lewis is the guy he is for a reason – he’s the greatest of all time. I think we go in there [and] we need to help each other because, [in 2022], the cars are just going to be developing so much, race after race.”
“It’s not who has the quickest car at race one, it’s who has the quickest car throughout the whole season. And, as drivers, we need to work together with the team to move us forward as one, and that’s going to be the key,” he further added.
George Russell grateful to have worked with Williams
In a separate interview with RacingNews365, the 23-year-old talked about his experiences with Williams. He spent three years with the British team before signing a contract with Mercedes.
He said that the Williams team helped him become a better driver, an all-rounder. “They gave me my first opportunity in F1m which I will be forever grateful for,” the Brit said.
“But I think, above all, [they] helped mould me into a better all-around driver, helped me learn the technical side of the sport much more and just develop my skills globally to become a greater driver.”
