Let’s go back to Sakhir 2020. Lewis Hamilton couldn’t race thanks to COVID-19 rearing its ugly head. There was only one man to step in as his replacement: George Russell. He missed a debut pole position by less than half a tenth, but his talent was shown in the race.
He snatched the lead from Bottas at the first corner, a first win was inbound. However, a dreadful mistake in the pits and a late puncture cruelly snatched victory from his grasp. This was the day that everyone realised the potential of the young British driver.
Despite driving a Williams which was far from its former glory, Russell continued to outperform his machinery, especially in qualifying. This was demonstrated by grabbing a front-row start in a soaking Belgian Grand Prix. This gave him the golden ticket to Mercedes in 2022. The moment finally arrived.
His first year with the Silver Arrows saw a drop off in performance as the “zero-pods” design failed to deliver. Despite this, Russell displayed great consistency, scoring 9 top 5 finishes in a row, and winning his first race in Brazil. After finishing 4th in the standings ahead of 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, it seemed that a star was born.
So, what went wrong in 2023? First, the W14 never stood a chance to the all-conquering RB19 and 3-time world champion Max Verstappen. As a result, Mercedes went winless for the first time since 2011. Secondly, the teammate battle between Russell and Hamilton swung the other way. This was mainly due to the latter being more consistent along with scoring 6 podiums compared to Russell’s 2.
And finally, big errors. Monaco, a 5-second penalty for a collision cost him a podium. Canada was an unforced error, crashing at Turn 9 leading to retirement. And then, Singapore. The moment that summed up his season. After chasing Sainz and Norris for the win, it ended in last lap heartbreak. Clipping the wall at Turn 10 crushed the dream of a second victory.
However, despite the errors, Russell has recently signed a new contract until the end of 2025 during the summer break. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff declared: “We have the strongest pairing on the grid.”
His team principle still boasted a lot of confidence in his driver lineup until Hamilton’s move to Ferrari shook the sport to its core. However, 2024 desperately needs to be a step up for Russell as another poor season can hurt his credentials as a future world champion.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos
