F1 | George Russell: "I do feel ready to fight for world championships and win races''
The British driver “feels ready” for a new challenge that would allow him to fight for podiums, while acknowledging the importance of his years at Williams and his will to perform at his best no matter what’s the goal.
George Russell, in his third F1 season, is a strong contender for the other 2022 Mercedes seat alongside the reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
In Mercedes's young driver's program since 2017 and managed by Toto Wolff, the former Formula 2 Champion had his first race experience with the German team in the 2020 Sakhir GP, as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton. Barely off the pole, Russell had impressed and secured his first points in the top championship. Only bad luck denied him a sensational win after controlling most of the race from the front.
This year he is showing his worth at Williams once again, consistently advancing to Q2 and returning to the top ten in the Hungarian GP, securing his first points with the British team ending the race in P8 after Sebastian Vettel's disqualification.
He also drove the W12 at Hungaroring, testing the 2022 Pirelli 18-inch tyres.
https://t.co/CiptaFOuqt pic.twitter.com/CNfNQshQbH
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) August 17, 2021
The Williams driver said in an interview to GPfans.com that, while he would be keen on racing for titles and podiums, as it'll happen if his Mercedes move goes through, he'd still perform at his best even if his battles were for the last points positions with the team he made his F1 debut for.
"I do feel ready to fight for world championships and win races. I would have loved to come into Formula 1 and be fighting for victories from my very first race."
Russell added that, while he would have liked to begin his journey in the top championship on a higher note, he believes he'll reckon the importance of his years spent with the British team:
"Perhaps I'll look back in 10 or 15 years and say this experience at the back end of the field has paid dividends for me in the long run."
Although it's still unsure whether he'll stick with his current team or move up the grid in the first season of the new regulations, the Brit reassured his fans that he'll put his 100% while on track:
"But no matter where I end up next year, no matter what position I'm fighting for, whether that's fighting for championships or fighting just for points, I'll be giving it everything I've got."
