A steely glint enters Mercedes driver George Russell’s eyes when Autosport broaches the topic: does he make too many errors when the strain is on to win Components 1 races?
It’s raining outdoors – the Barcelona paddock doused all day. Russell himself is a mixture of darkish and lightweight: a large black Mercedes overcoat sits above equally large, marque-monogrammed white trousers.
After he solutions, the rain will clear – by no means to return that weekend in Spain. Russell will banish the reminiscences of his two place-costing Canadian Grand Prix offs and conflict with Oscar Piastri, after main the early levels from pole. He’ll have a starring drive within the Spanish race, taking a shock lead, battling leaders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris arduous, then partaking team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a gripping intra-Mercedes contest.
He’ll lose however does so with aplomb. Subsequent day trip in Austria, he’ll be within the good place to capitalise when Verstappen and Norris collide – a second GP win collected.
“I don’t have any want to answer these folks [who say I crack under pressure],” Russell begins, earlier than doing precisely that. “As a result of I’m targeted by myself job. I may drive one tenth off the tempo for 70 laps in a row and I wouldn’t make a single mistake.
“[In] 2022 I didn’t make a single mistake in the entire season, however I wasn’t pushing myself the best way I’m pushing myself now. The way in which I’m pushing myself now has allowed me to out-qualify my team-mate eight occasions out of 9 races this season [it’s 9-2 in GP qualifying only post-Austria] and permits me to be forward of him in most of those races.
“I may drive one tenth off the tempo, not make a single mistake, and nonetheless end third [in Canada], and it seems like a flawless race from the surface. However realizing inside that I had a tenth on the desk, I’d be kicking myself for not pushing myself to the restrict.
“So, folks can say what they need. I’m pushing myself above and past. And possibly overstretched barely as a result of I’m attempting to…”
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Russell tails off. At this level, it’s value remembering how in what was a really constant 2022 marketing campaign general, he did biff Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher on his method to 14th in Singapore that 12 months and performed his half within the dramatic begin crash at Silverstone. Plus, within the context of the subject of the day, Singapore 2023 should be highlighted as one other potential victory shot ending in an error.
That is given how the Mercedes pair had been bearing down on eventual winner Carlos Sainz and Norris on that event. Russell’s failure to cross the latter even earlier than he crashed on the ultimate lap was a key half in why many F1 observers had been left questioning if Hamilton may’ve received had he been the main Silver Arrows driver that day.
However, again to Russell answering his critics: “It appears like [I’ve had] three alternatives in 115 races to attain victory. And attempting to attain that within the second, as once I was a child, racing in F2, F3, GP3, every part else, once I received championships, I simply took the outcome that was on the desk.
“If it’s a win as we speak, take the win, if it’s a P3, take the P3. If I used to be in P3, I wasn’t overdriving to attempt to obtain that victory as I knew to win a championship I simply wanted to get the factors.
“So yeah, errors occur, it’s life. We’ve all been by occasions the place these errors occur, however they occur as I’m pushing myself above and past, and I believe I’m in that place as I’m driving higher than ever.”
That has resulted in an 11-3 qualifying report [sprints and all in 2024] in opposition to Hamilton in qualifying and a 26-point standings lead in opposition to his team-mate. Spectacular, in opposition to a driver with 104 poles.
However what has stood out this season is how Russell has been capable of both increase his recreation when it issues in qualifying, or a minimum of keep it higher in opposition to the W15’s knife-edge dealing with traits on the tough Pirelli tyres.
Does he due to this fact take satisfaction from his report in opposition to his illustrious team-mate in 2024?
“Yeah, I do know that if this was a special period I’d most likely have eight poles to my identify this season and numerous wins,” he replies, the steely willpower having now made its method to Russell’s voice.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“I’ve by no means not had religion or satisfaction in myself. And possibly my driving at races can be barely completely different if I used to be preventing for a championship over one race victory possibly in a season.
“That one race in Canada I used to be pushing approach past my limits as I felt this was one shot at victory, whereas if I used to be in a championship combat in opposition to Max I’d most likely have mentioned, ‘P2 is the outcome as we speak’.
“I settle for that. And I must dial down the chance/reward [ratio] of how arduous I’m driving. Whereas, for the time being within the race, that dial is turned up all the best way as a result of I need to get a [another] victory to my identify.
“That’s the mentality I’m in for the time being. To be sincere, I don’t get pleasure from driving like that as I’d relatively be extra constant like I used to be in 2022. However six years in [F1], I don’t take the satisfaction from persistently ending simply within the high 5.
“In 2022, I completed within the high 5 greater than any single driver on the grid [Russell scored the equal-most points finishes that year with Verstappen and Sergio Perez, with 20], however I’d choose ending P6 each race and having two victories relatively than ending P5, P4, P3 each race and never get the race victory.
“I hope that mentality can change subsequent 12 months, if we have a automotive that may combat for the championship.”
Particularly on that Canada race, Russell reckons, “I used to be a bit arduous on myself. Once I seemed on the race as a complete, everybody made errors at sure factors.
“Max went off at Flip 1, misplaced three seconds,” Russell provides. “[He] went off once more at Flip 3 when Logan [Sargeant] crashed, however the security automotive got here out. Lando went off at Flip 1.
Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing RB20, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Picture by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images
“Clearly, I had my off once I was forward of Lando, which was 10cm mistake. The lap earlier than I used to be subsequent to the white line, that lap I used to be 10cm over. A small mistake, barely larger penalties. The largest one was with Piastri, not getting the overtake accomplished [at the final chicane where the pair made light contact].
“However I got here away considering in fact I may have accomplished otherwise, however had I received that race and Lando didn’t he’d be saying the identical. Or if I received the race and Max didn’t, he’d be saying, ‘about this error there and this error right here’.
“It was simply a type of races the place you needed to be there on the finish on the best tyre to attain it and I believe realistically in that race with out security vehicles Lando would have received that race.
“He bought the [tyre] pressures proper. I most likely made the error of pumping my tyres up on the grid as a result of it was raining and we thought extra rain would are available in 20 minutes. However it got here in 40 minutes and that’s why we had been so fast initially however then dropped off like a stone afterwards.
“I believe Max did one thing related as we kind of each adopted each other’s tempo. He may additionally argue that was an enormous, missed alternative for him. It’s the best way the cookie crumbles typically.”
Proper now, with Mercedes not in title rivalry for the third 12 months in a row, Russell is heading to the race the place he’ll face the most important strain of all: the British GP.
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Workforce, 1st place, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Residence races increase expectations, even with the high-speed nature of the Silverstone much less more likely to enhance the W15 in comparison with the RB20 or MCL38, as Barcelona confirmed. However the Austria consequence remains to be recent in F1’s hive thoughts.
Win or lose, rain or shine, Russell’s resolve is obvious. Errors occur on the restrict, however he’s bought one putting reply to those that say he cracks underneath strain. And all of it goes again to a time earlier than he was a Mercedes common and his one-off race as Hamilton’s alternative because of the seven-time world champion contracting COVID.
“I believe in my profession to this point in F1 I’ve had three pictures at victory,” he explains. “Which was most likely Bahrain 2020, which ought to have been a victory, that was outdoors of my management. Brazil [2022], after which Montreal.
“If I rely Bahrain as a victory, I believe I’m there to take these moments as they arrive.”