George Russell asserts he learnt more in one year with Lewis Hamilton than three seasons with Williams
George Russell made it clear that a driver learns more from a high pressure situation at Mercedes compared to a longer stint at a small team.
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George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (images via IMAGO)
George Russell has been a part of the Mercedes family since his junior days. The British driver was promoted to F1 in 2019 with a seat at Williams. However, the 26-year-old had to wait for three seasons before he could join the Silver Arrows. Now, Russell has taken a subtle hit at Mercedes’ decision to keep him at Williams for so long.
The British driver was asked about his future teammate, Kimi Antonelli being put in Mercedes next season without a stint at a smaller team. George Russell highlighted that one learns more when they’re put in cold water.
When you’re thrown into cold water, you learn faster.George Russell told Auto-Motor-und-Sport
Russell claimed that during his own experience, he learnt more from being teammates with Lewis Hamilton in 2022 compared to his multi-year stint at Williams. Perhaps, this was a subtle dig by the 26-year-old for being forced to spend three seasons at the Grove-based team.
From my experience, I can say that I learned more in my first year alongside Lewis than in the three years at Williams.George Russell asserted
George Russell asserts Kimi Antonelli has the ‘speed’ to be world champion
Russell emphasized that all world champions have had immense raw speed. The 26-year-old reckoned that Antonelli will learn from debuting at a top team like Mercedes, similar to Lewis Hamilton’s 2007 debut with McLaren. George Russell further highlighted that in F1, a driver either has speed or they don’t. With Kimi Antonelli surely having the pace needed.
Every driver who has won championships in their career is fast. You can place [Kimi] in a top team in his first year, just like Lewis once did at McLaren... Kimi will learn from that. Either you have the speed, or you don't. Kimi has it.George Russell explained
Certainly, Russell is confident over Antonelli’s F1 prospects. The 26-year-old will shift to the role of team leader and guide the Italian during his first season at the pinnacle of motorsport. However, it remains to be seen if the two drivers can fulfill Mercedes’ targets for 2025.
In case you missed it:
- Lando Norris claims he has utmost ‘FAITH’ in McLaren to fight for ‘both championships’ in 2024
- George Russell claims “he is ready in every way” to compete for the title after Lewis Hamilton’s departure
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Armaan Agarwal
(2353 Articles Published)