George Russell feels ‘ready to win the championship’. The Brit says he has felt that for ‘several years’, but after his first year at Mercedes, that feeling has only become stronger.
Russell drove for Williams for three years, but this year was his first chance to really prove himself with a top team. The Brit immediately made an impression at Mercedes, where he regularly finished in the top five at the start of the season.
After his first season with Mercedes, Russell is convinced that he can compete in the title fight, provided he has the car to do so. “I feel absolutely ready to win a world championship,” Russell says Sky Sports. “I have felt ready for it for several years now.”
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The fact that he has now driven an entire season alongside Lewis Hamilton is ‘huge’ for Russell. “I’ve learned to pay attention to the small details, how to get more out of the car and the team and how to get the most out of the package when it matters,” explained the Briton.
Russell finished the season in fourth place, above teammate Hamilton who finished sixth. Russell did not expect that he would succeed there in his first season with Mercedes. “If you had told me that at the beginning of the year I would have been exuberant because if you can beat Hamilton in a Mercedes it often means you can become world champion.”
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Still, Russell is not entirely satisfied with his season. “I look at the positives, but I’m not going to celebrate finishing fourth in the championship. What I will celebrate is the victory in Brazil. That was a huge achievement for myself and the team. But the fact is that we are here to win and to conquer titles. We didn’t do a perfect job this season.”
