'Departure of Russell is definitely a big loss'

François-Xavier Demaison regrets the departure of George Russell, although he calls it a normal course of events. The technical director of Williams, who started at the beginning of March this year, hopes to have found a capable successor in Alexander Albon.

Russell to Mercedes

"It's definitely a big loss, because he knew the team and was able to motivate everyone every day, every minute, every hour," Demaison is quoted by FormulaPassion.it. However, the top man does state that he understands Russell's departure. According to him, the British driver is a great driver who deserves to be in a great car.

Williams can't give him such a car at the moment, although the new 2022-rules offer some possibilities for the team from Grove. With Nicholas Latifi and Alexander Albon behind the wheel, Williams hopes to be able to join the sub-top next year.

No rookie in 2022

The departure of Russell will be absorbed by Albon. Other names like Nyck de Vries or Guanyu Zhou were also considered, but Demaison himself insisted on a driver with more experience in Formula 1. Albon spent half a season with AlphaTauri, after which he spent a year and a half with Red Bull Racing. In 2021 he was active as a test and reserve driver for Red Bull.

"We are only engineers, we don't drive the car. Although we think we do a lot of simulations and know everything, it is the driver who is a big part of the process, and we believe we will be able to work positively with Alex," Demaison said. According to the Frenchman, Albon is said to be technically very strong.