GEORGE RUSSELL

Following his Formula One debut last year, the Williams driver is now stealing the show in the virtual world too

ON WINNING THE VIRTUAL MONACO GP:

When I compete I want to win. I’m not turning up to make up the numbers, I’m there to win. I had the opportunity to win in the virtual world so I’ve given it my all. I’d forgotten what a buzz winning is, especially when you’re fighting at the front with the top guys. Charles [Leclerc] and Alex [Albon] aren’t just sitting at home, then turning the computer on 10 minutes before the race starts.

ON WHAT NIKI LAUDA WOULD HAVE MADE OF ESPORTS:

He’d probably have thought it was a load of rubbish. But Niki was an incredibly intelligent man, and he understood that times change, and everything evolves. So he’d have bought into it eventually. Me, I don’t think it’s the future. That thrill you have driving or watching someone driving a car flat out isn’t the same when it’s a guy on a computer playing a game. But it’s the way the world is going and if there’s an explosion of interest in esports alongside F1, then it’s a win-win.

ON HOW CLOSE TO THE REAL THING ESPORTS IS:

The rig I use for the virtual racing still has a way to go, in terms of real feel. F1 simulators are close now, having had millions invested in them over the past 20 years, the whole platform moves left to right, rotates back and forwards. But to get that real truth? There are so many variables that you can’t replicate in a simulator, the g force, the way your body moves when you hit the brake pedal in an F1 car... we can get incredibly close but I’ll never jump out of an F1 car and get in the simulator and say, “Yep, that’s exactly the same” because if I crash I’ll just press the restart button and go again.

ON WHY HE DOES ESPORTS:

My reasoning behind getting into esports is purely to try to put on a show for the fans who’ve got nothing to watch right now. It is still me driving, in a cockpit, with pedals, and a steering

wheel. I’ll brake as late as I can, carry as much speed through the corners, and pick up the throttle as early as I can. There is still a relationship to reality there, and I’ve worked hard to create a set-up that’s as realistic as possible – this is as close as I can get to the real thing now, so I need the best equipment. The element of competition is definitely there. There are practice sessions and qualifying, but it’s a different feeling when you’re racing, even in the virtual world. I’m there to win, which is why I put a lot of effort into it. I want to get the job done. I’m practising really hard, working with a couple of the pro drivers, seeing the level they’re at and pushing myself to reach it.

ON WHETHER A PRO GAMER COULD DRIVE HIS WILLIAMS F1 CAR:

I don’t think so, unless they’ve got a real racing background and experience. I’ve been racing since I was seven, and I’ve developed an awareness of the tyres, the way a car slides, the sense of speed, of understeer and oversteer… you just don’t get that sitting behind a computer. In F1, we’re all working off instinct, you react to the car’s movement without even thinking. If all you’ve done is gaming, your body’s not used to it. But it goes the other way, too. The top gamers are the best in their business. When I first started in esports, I couldn’t get to within two seconds of the pros. I didn’t have the feeling, didn’t know the techniques, and it felt unnatural. When I had oversteer I could only see it on the screen and through the wheel, whereas normally I feel it though my backside. I had to tell my brain, “This is how you’ve got to drive this thing.” It drove me crazy for a few weeks, and then it clicked. I’ve accepted it’s different. I’m not trying to compare reality with the game, which is exactly what I am trying to do when I’m in the Williams simulator. It’s so important that it has to be as close to reality as we can get.

ON ESPORT’S ‘RINGER’-GATE:

When I first heard about the ringer [drafted in by Formula E driver Daniel Abt, who was then thrown out of the real championship], I laughed – it was a bit beyond belief. Then I thought about the effort I’ve been putting in to improve and to win, only to have a pro driver come in and beat you, because that’s what they do and they’re better than us at this game, someone who’s been doing it for the past 10 years, for 10 hours every day, I’d be pretty angry. Look, some people buy into esports, some don’t. If you’re going to do it, do it fully, but if it’s not for you and you’re considering doing something like that, just say, “It’s not for me.”

ON INDYCAR CHAMPION SIMON PAGENAUD TAKING OUT LANDO NORRIS IN iRACING:

I know how much work Lando put into that race. So to have an act of stupidity ruin your race like that is unacceptable. There’s a big following for esports right now because it’s all people have, so it’s a big deal. I’ve had more publicity from winning a virtual race than I had all of last year. It’s why I’m putting a lot of effort into it, and it’s why being taken out by someone who isn’t taking it as seriously is just disrespectful.

ON HONING HIS SKILL:

Practice, practice, practice. And understanding what makes you quick, what makes you slow. I watched the pros’ on-board, took their advice, learned the techniques. Six weeks in the esports world in the F1 game and now it comes naturally. But it really is about practice. I’ve known a number of drivers who are incredibly naturally gifted but who put in zero effort. The true greats combine their natural talent with hard work, not just in themselves but everyone around them. It’s a cheap excuse for others to say about winners, “Oh they’re naturally talented.” The true greats aren’t just incredibly talented, they work above and beyond to get the most out of it. There’s a Michael Jordan documentary on Netflix [The Last Dance]… it’s worth watching.

ON F1’S NEW GOLDEN GENERATION:

We hear about this next generation of drivers in F1, and that we’re all at a high level. But we’ve all been racing each other since we were 11, and from an early age you can see what everyone’s doing, we’ve constantly pushed each other. It takes one truly great driver with massive aspirations to set the bar, and it raises everybody else up too. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be up against these guys, and probably didn’t appreciate how good they were on the way up. I thought that was just the level we were at...