“He’s always performed no matter the car,” When a 17-year-old George Russell hoped to match Fernando Alonso’s performances in F1
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George Russell in 2015
George Russell is a promising young talent in Formula 1. Russell even became a race winner in 2022 after a stellar drive during the Brazilian Grand Pix. Thus, George has impressed the paddock in his time in F1 and many have even considered the Brit a ‘future world champion.’ Fernando Alonso is one of Russell’s admirers and the two have had great relations in the paddock.
Hence, it is interesting to witness a video back from 2015. When George Russell was only 17 years old. This clip was posted on Reddit. Where George is seemingly asked about which F1 driver would the Brit like to replicate in F1. For Which, Russell promptly named Alonso as his choice because of the Spaniard’s consistent performances despite less competitive cars. The Brit stated, “Probably Fernando Alonso I think. He’s always performed no matter the car he’s been in.”
George Russell mentioned how Fernando had lost out on the opportunity to drive a race-winning car during that period. But Russell also stated Fernando’s impressive ability to get out some decent results despite mediocre machinery. George stated, “He’s very rarely recently he’s been in the best cars but has always got the results.” A sign of the Brit’s desire to strive for success in F1 no matter the pace of the car.
Young George Russell would be proud of the Brit’s F1 career
Russell continued elaborating on his pick. The 17-year-old wanted to replicate Fernando Alonso‘s talent to deliver results irrespective of the car’s competitiveness. He said, So I think I can do the same as him.” George Russell was optimistic about the chances of his success in F1 and wished for following in the steps of Alonso. George said, “Hopefully, I can be in as good or if not better car, hopefully, I’ll very successful.”
It is amazing to look back at a young George Russell who looked up to Alonso during his junior career. Russell and Alonso have become good friends since Alonso’s comeback in F1 in 2021. The two recently broke the internet after posting a hilarious picture on New Year’s Eve after what seemed to be a chaotic party. Previously, the pair have also swapped helmets and stated their mutual respect publicly.
The 2015 George Russell would be happy about his future in F1. George made his F1 debut in 2019 with the Williams team and spent three seasons with underwhelming machinery. However, just like Alonso, Russell made the most out of what he got and made his mark in Formula 1. The Brit even almost won a Grand Prix during his stand-in appearance for Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
As such, George did not go unnoticed and was promoted to Mercedes in 2022 and instantly challenged veteran Lewis Hamilton. George Russell even outperformed Hamilton in the 2022 season and secured the team’s only race victory in Brazil. Thus, George has solidified his place as the next Mercedes number 1 after the Lewis Hamilton era. The young Russell could not have asked for more.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)