George Russell's arrival at Mercedes was a spectacular one. First, his one-race debut, then the way he gradually but decisively overtook seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, foreshadowed serious things to come.
In 2022, his first year at Mercedes, for example, he took the team's only win, and he outscored his multiple world champion teammate that year and last year. That's why Russell - perhaps rightly - feels that if he had arrived a little earlier, if he had been given the chance a little earlier, he could have been world champion by now. Even a double.
"Being in Lewis' shadow wasn't easy. I was a teammate of a seven-time world champion for three seasons, and it came at an unfortunate time for me. There was a time when finishing ahead of Hamilton meant a race win, but most of all a championship. So I think that if I had been given the opportunity earlier by Toto Wolff, I could have won two world titles.
"My goal now is to be world champion. I will do everything, I will do my job, as I have in recent years. I work with the same team of engineers, the same mechanics, and I believe that a consistent and persistent attitude will soon pay off," said George Russell.
Photo: F1
