RUSSELL’S BATTLE OF THE BRITS
I’d love to see him stick around a few more years I want to take on Hamilton
GEORGE RUSSELL is desperate for Lewis Hamilton to race on even if he seals an eighth world title this season.
Russell got a taste of superstardom at the end of last season when he stepped into the title-winning Mercedes of Covid-stricken Hamilton.
And but for a rare team mess-up in the pits, he would have won the Bahrain race in style.
For now, it is back to reality as he begins the final season of his three-year contract with the back-ofthe-grid Williams team. But his eyes are firmly fixed on doing enough to reclaim that Mercedes seat on a permanent basis – and he wants Hamilton to stick around long enough for a battle of the Brits at the head of the field.
Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas are both out of contract at the end of the year – sparking speculation that the seven-time world champion could call it a day at the end of 2021.
And while Russell, a member of the Mercedes junior driver programme, has nothing but admiration for Hamilton, he would love to test himself against his compatriot in competitive machinery.
“He’s going to wrap up his title this year,” said Russell. “That’s quite inevitable to be honest.
“Whether he goes on to retire or not is his decision. I hope he doesn’t – I would love to see him stick around a few more years and even more so love to go up against him.
“But equally, he’s done it all and by the end of this year eighth he’s completed everything and could be going out on the top of his game, with every record in the book.”
Russell will go up against team-mate Nicholas Latifi this season at Williams but, after having a taste at the top end of the grid, he is hungry to pit his wits against the best.
“Max Verstappen, Lewis, Charles Leclerc – I’d be really excited to be team-mates with,” said Russell. “I believe in myself and I want to go up against the best in the business, Daniel Ricciardo included.
“But from the younger generation, Max and Charles are the two top dogs and they’ve had the opportunity to prove themselves a bit more than I have, but I’d be super excited.
“Charles is contracted for next year but, if the stars were to be aligned and I somehow found myself against Max, that would be quite extraordinary.”
Russell says he feels no extra pressure to become the ‘next Lewis Hamilton’. “What Lewis has achieved is incredible, and it’s going to be incredibly difficult to match,” he said. “From the second he jumped in an F1 car, he was in a car capable of winning, and he’s been at the front of the grid and at the top of his game since 2007.
“But no additional pressure [for me], I’m in it for myself and the guys who have helped me along the way and supported me.
“I’m a proud Brit, but just because Lewis is a Brit and he’s achieved so much, it’s not going to change anything.”