Russell completed Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix in eighth place to attain his first factors for Williams since making his F1 debut for the staff in 2019.
Russell and team-mate Nicholas Latifi each vaulted up the order after the Flip 1 collisions, however clung on to their points-paying positions to present Williams its greatest outcome since Brazil 2017. It additionally marked Latifi’s first F1 factors end.
After quite a few near-misses with the factors this 12 months, Russell was emotional after the race, shedding some tears as he started his interviews with the media.
The British teen defined within the paddock on the Hungaroring that he hadn’t anticipated to be so emotional, however that it summed up the journey him and Williams had been on because the struggles of 2019.
“I actually shed a tear, which I used to be not anticipating,” Russell stated.
“I in all probability would not have shed a tear if I received my first race, to be sincere. That’s how a lot it means.
“It means greater than I can put into phrases, pondering of the trip we have been via this previous three years. In case you’re combating for one thing for 3 years and also you lastly get it.
“It was an unimaginable stint on our facet of the storage. That second stint, it was in all probability one of the best stint of my entire profession. Preserving Danny [Ricciardo] behind, conserving Max [Verstappen] behind, closing the hole by 20 seconds to the vehicles forward, it was distinctive.
“I pulled every little thing I’ve, as I do each single race, and I lastly got here residence with one thing.”
George Russell, Williams FW43B, Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB16B
Photograph by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Russell briefly ran second on-track after pitting for slicks as a substitute of taking the standing restart, however was instructed by the FIA at hand again some positions after leaping vehicles within the queue at pit exit.
Russell stated that he was grateful the FIA confirmed “a little bit of frequent sense” by asking him to present the positions again as a substitute of instantly taking motion, having feared he may obtain a drivethrough penalty.
“I noticed a chance. I simply thought, screw it, let’s go for it as a result of the chance versus reward, the reward half outweighed the chance,” Russell stated.
“I am actually grateful to the FIA for exhibiting a little bit of frequent sense simply to say, ‘Give these positions again’. They may have come via and given me a drivethrough.
“As I used to be pulling out my pitbox I stated, ‘can I overtake these vehicles?’ And actually as I overtook them, they stated no. I knew fairly early on.
“So perhaps I should not have achieved that. However I wasn’t like kicking myself, as a result of any driver in my place would have achieved the identical.”