F1 ANALYST
RUSSELL ‘EXPERIENCE’ GREATNESS
Ben Edwards on the future for George Russell
Working from the Silverstone Experience for Channel 4’s coronavirus-adapted production of the Austrian Grand Prix allowed me to immerse myself in the fabulous heritage of motorsport we enjoy in this country.
The newly opened museum contains cars, bikes and memorabilia from some of Britain’s greatest motorsport exponents, as well as educational areas to entice youngsters. It serves as a reminder of what’s been achieved in the past as we prepare for two key events a few metres away on the circuit.
In 2020, Lewis Hamilton is not only seeking a seventh world title but also his seventh victory at Silverstone; how suitable it would be if he achieved it in the year we sadly lost the man who thrived on number 7, the late, lamented Sir Stirling Moss. Hamilton relishes the fast corners and changeable conditions that arise around the former airfield site, and he goes in as firm favourite for victory.
Lando Norris has already booked his slot in the museum by becoming the youngest British driver to achieve an F1 podium. In only his second year
“The way he worked with the team was fantastic,” she told me. “He’s always looking for ways to improve and get the most out of the environment he’s in. During the COVID-19 lockdown he switched his focus to sim racing, something he’s not really been fully engaged with before, and he worked at it so well he ended up winning the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series!
“It’s typical of his approach. Yes, he can be demanding when he feels there is something required to raise the game, but he’s a real team player and everybody around him is happy to engage with that.”
The way Russell refused to be disheartened by results in 2019, his utterly professional approach and ability to get the best out of the car was recognised by plenty of people in F1 circles, and as Ann mentioned, “he has good contacts throughout the whole F1 paddock.”
My Channel 4 colleague Steve Jones recently interviewed Russell and was equally impressed: “A nice guy, very affable, likeable but he has that killer instinct look in his eyes – you just know it’s going to happen for him...”
George’s relationship with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is clearly very positive, but it has not been enough to earn promotion to the top team, yet. News emerged recently that Valterri Bottas would re-sign with Mercedes for another year the day after George ran through the gravel at the Styrian Grand Prix and dropped out of an early midfield battle.
A hefty double blow, and in some ways disappointing that Wolff has not taken the risk of bringing in a driver nurtured through the junior ranks by Mercedes and to give him a shot at the title.
Yet Russell is a hot prospect for various teams and those contacts could be valuable in the long run. Signed up and fully committed to Williams until the end of 2021, with Williams similarly committed to Russell it now looks difficult for any other interested party to negotiate him out of his present circumstance. However, George could still be high on the list for other teams for 2022 and beyond, and Toto has signed off his drivers to unrelated rivals before; Esteban Ocon is no doubt psyching himself up already to cope with Fernando Alonso at Renault next year.
Opportunities exist for Russell, and this is a key time to prove his mettle. Returning to Silverstone will give him an extra sliver of confidence and motivation, even if the fans are yelling from their sofas rather than from the grandstands. I believe that Russell has the ability and mindset to achieve great things in F1. A claim to a space in the Silverstone Experience is definitely on the cards. he has already gathered 1.6million (and counting) followers on Instagram. If a crowd was allowed at the track, just imagine the support he would enjoy.
Then there’s George Russell. One of his earliest claims to the heritage centre comes from his first ever European F3 event at Silverstone in April 2015 when he won the second of three races, launching in front of Charles Leclerc off the line and emerging ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi after the two made slight contact.
Ultimately, Russell beat Leclerc by just under two seconds with Giovinazzi, Lance Stroll and Alex Albon all behind him. It was a pretty remarkable debut event in only George’s second season of single-seater racing, and while the rest of the campaign didn’t quite mirror that success, it laid down an important marker for the future.
Russell followed up with a second season in Euro F3 that lacked overall success but led to a connection with Mercedes. The subsequent two years propelled him to GP3 title success and beating Lando Norris and Albon to the F2 crown in 2018. That gave George the confidence to force his foot in the door at Williams and get signed up for a full-time ride in F1.
Then he had to cope with driving the slowest car on the grid. But the approach he took and the way he sustained his motivation throughout such a tough debut F1 season was impressive. Ann Bradshaw, the established motorsport PR ace, worked alongside George for much of 2019 and was highly impressed.
Lewis Hamilton heads into the two Silverstone races looking for a seventh F1 win at the track, a circuit that seems to suit him and his Mercedes team perfectly