Selfie Sacrifice

MERCEDES POSTER BOY ADMITS RONALDO WORK ETHIC IS HIS INSPIRATION

GEORGE RUSSELL needs far less than the average duration of a Formula One pit-stop to identify his greatest sporting role model.

And while this particular character loves his cars, Russell’s inspiration is not from the world of motor racing.

“(Cristiano) Ronaldo is the clear one who I really admire,” said the Mercedes driver.

“I admire his determination – he has given absolutely everything to be at the very best of his sport. “You see others living the life, as such, and taking it all in, but he

has got one goal and one vision – and that is to be the best. Year after year, he keeps coming back fitter, stronger and better than ever. That is inspiring to see.”

Russell, 24, is rapidly becoming not just a poster boy for Formula One, but a poster boy for British sport.

But, despite the unrivalled glamour of Grand Prix racing, clean-cut Russell is unlikely to have his head turned or be distracted by off-the-track temptations.

He explained: “I am young and fit, I feel good, but you still have to keep putting the work in and that will pay dividends in 10 years’ time when I am probably past my physical peak.

“The work I put in today will pay dividends then. A guy like Ronaldo (below, left) should be an inspiration to a lot of people.

“They are all choices, at the end of the day. I say, ‘You can have anything you want in the world, but you can’t have everything you want in the world’.

“He wants one thing – to be the best footballer on the planet.”

And Russell, in his first season as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate, wants to be the best driver on the planet.

That is why he is happy to sacrifice the social life of your average young man or woman.

“I’m sure if I told people what I do when I wake up every day of every single week, a lot would call

it sacrifice, but, for me, it’s my choice,” said Russell.

“It’s not a sacrifice to me because I want to be a Formula One world champion, so I’m not sacrificing anything – I’m living my dream.

“Maybe a lot of people, who are 24 years old, want to be out on the town or have the weekends with their mates or go out for dinner every other day or have a couple of drinks.

“But I know I am not going to be a world champion if I do that.”

Alas, the chances of

Russell – or, indeed,

Hamilton (right) – being world champion this year are slim and none as the dominance of the Mercedes has come to an abrupt end.

But Russell, who has finished in the top five in all nine races in 2022, believes the unexpected struggles of his team can have a character-building benefit.

He added: “Winning is easy, to a degree, because everything is smooth sailing, everybody is happy and the team spirit within is great.

Suddenly, when you are dealing with all of these issues, you have to dig deep within yourself and I guess, as individuals, you learn a lot about yourself and about a group of people as well. How they power through a situation like that.

“Obviously, we all want to be there winning, but everybody is equally enjoying the challenge and it will make the success sweeter when we achieve it.”

And while Russell’s reputation has been enhanced by the way

he has outperformed Hamilton for most of this season, that is certainly not a cause for him to celebrate. He says: “I would not see my season as a success purely because I’ve finished ahead of him more times than he has finished ahead of me.

“I would see it as a success if I was standing at the top step of the podium.”

And you never know, if Russell can channel his inner Ronaldo, that might just happen at Silverstone today.