“We shouldn’t have a driver on the grid just based on nationality”- George Russell doesn’t agree with Lewis Hamilton’s view on signing new drivers in Formula 1

Unlike his teammate Lewis Hamilton, George Russell insists that nationality must never be a factor in deciding who gets an F1 seat. 

Over the last few years, F1 has been growing massively in the US. It has led to more viewers and addition of the Miami and Las Vegas GP to the calendar. Lately, there have also been talks of having American drivers join the grid.

The most heavily linked driver has been IndyCar sensation Colton Herta. Herta has impressed everyone in his young racing career so far, and earlier this year McLaren confirmed that the 22-year old will take part in one of their practice sessions.

It leaves the door open for his potential move to F1 in the near future. Russell however, feels that the sport should not sign Herta or other drivers, purely based on the fact that they are American. This comes after Hamilton said in an earlier interview that he would like more drivers compete from the United States.

“It’s such a diverse country,” Hamilton said. “I’m sure there are some amazing drivers here somewhere, as they’ve got so many great sporting talents. So, it’d be a good mission for us to find the next one.”

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Drivers have to earn the right to be in F1, says George Russell

Russell joined Mercedes in 2022 after spending three years with Williams. His ability to consistently perform well in the Williams car (which was the worst in the grid for a vast majority of the time), earned him several plaudits.

In a recent interview, Russell shared his thoughts on having drivers from the United States join them on the grid. While he wasn’t against the idea, he made it clear that singing them just for their nationality would be a mistake.

“I’ve not really had any experience with American drivers, not that I can really remember,” he said. “Maybe there was one or two when we were going through karting.”

“I think Formula 1 is the pinnacle of the sport and we shouldn’t have a driver on the grid just because of their nationality,” the 23-year old continued.

“We should have the best drivers earning their right to be here and proving them themselves when they’re here. So I think we don’t live in a perfect world but this is the pinnacle and it needs to stay like that.”

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