George Russell reveals he saw his affiliation with Mercedes F1 as a ‘positive’

George Russell reveals he saw his affiliation with Mercedes F1 as a ‘positive’

George Russell

George Russell

One of the most elite young drivers in the modern-day Formula 1 will always include the name of 22-year-old Mercedes’ George Russell. The Mercedes Junior Driver has earned his way through to able to compete against 20 drivers in this cut-throat and pacey sport. Having being able to make it up through the ranks, Russell earned everyone’s praise in the previous season. He drove majorly for Williams, but showed glimpses of his talent and skill. 

Coming into the Mercedes setup to replace Lewis Hamilton for the Sakhir GP, there was little time for him to adapt to new surroundings. By doing so exceptionally well and learning quickly. He showed that he can take to the wheel of the Mercedes car with ease. 

“I’m here for a reason” George Russell 

At the same time, Russell is also part of the prestigious Mercedes Junior Drivers’ Program. He discussed whether he ever felt the pressure to repay the faith put him in by the defending champions. 

The Williams driver stated, “Arguably, when I was a bit younger, maybe my early races in GP3. Probably during 2017, there was a point where my mentality shifted. 

“I told myself: ‘I’m here for a reason and they haven’t picked me up for the sake of it.’ Mercedes don’t sign 15-20 young drivers every year; at the time, I was one of three. I knew I had to go out there and do my job to the best of my ability.” 

The Brit continued, “I’ve always had the most amount of pressure from myself. I know what I want to achieve, and I only saw being affiliated with Mercedes as a positive. Maybe I enjoyed that extra pressure that I knew all eyes were on me, even back then.”