George Russell's arrival at the Mercedes team was quite spectacular. First, his one-off appearance, then his gradual but decisive dominance of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, raised hopes for great things to come.
In 2022, for example, in his first year with Mercedes, he took the team's only victory, and both that year and last year he surpassed his multi-world champion teammate. Therefore, Russell feels—perhaps rightly—that if he had arrived a little earlier, if he had been given the chance a little earlier, he could already be world champion. Perhaps even twice.
"Being in Lewis's shadow wasn't easy. For three seasons, I was teammates with a seven-time world champion, and that happened at an unfortunate time for me. Because there were times when finishing ahead of Hamilton certainly meant a race win, but more importantly, a championship title. So I think if I'd been given the opportunity from Toto Wolff earlier, I might already have two world championship titles."
"My goal now remains: to become world champion. I'm doing my best, doing my job, just like I have in recent years. I'm working with the same engineering team, the same mechanics, and I believe that my consistent and persistent attitude will soon pay off," said George Russell.
Photo: F1
