Russell: 'Losing the win there will make me a stronger driver'

George Russell believes that setbacks make him a better driver. The newly-minted Mercedes driver cites the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix as an example. The young Briton seemed well on his way to a win on his debut for the German racing stable, but malfunction during the pit stop prevented that.

Russell states that when you never experience disappointments, it is harder to deal with them and give them a place. Against Crash.net the 23-year old driver says he is grateful that he has been in a position like this. He says it has made him more resilient, something you definitely need as a Formula 1 driver.

On the race at the Bahrain circuit where he replaced Lewis Hamilton, he says: "I would have loved to have won that race [Sakhir 2020], but that’s not what I want my career to be remembered by. I want to be the most complete driver possible and I want to look back in 20 years time and say ‘that was an incredibly strong career, every single outcome had a reason behind it and that made me a stronger driver’. I believe that race in Bahrain, losing that victory, will make me a stronger driver."

Disappointments and pressure

As a driver at Mercedes, Russell will undoubtedly face many more disappointments in the coming years. At Williams, he was often already driving in the rear when technical problems came to light, for example. From 2022 onwards, if everything goes according to plan, Russell will be driving in a promising position much more often.

Of course, that also means a lot more pressure and we don't know yet if Russell can handle that. At Williams every points finish was a surprise, while scoring a podium finish will be the minimum expectation from next year onwards.