Windsor impressed with Russell with similar 'hard defence' like Verstappen

Peter Windsor saw George Russell bear resemblance to Max Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix, precisely in a duel between the two Mercedes and Red Bull Racing drivers.

Russell makes impression

For the first time in Formula 1, Russell and Verstappen actually met for a battle for position. Russell drove second (and after Charles Leclerc's retirement even briefly first) during the Spanish GP and had a hunting Verstappen behind him. The Dutchman had to contend with a failing DRS, which made overtaking not so easy.

Although Russell was helped by Verstappen's problems, Windsor was very enthusiastic about his compatriot's race. ''Brilliant, brilliant drive by George. Absolutely everything Mercedes’ could’ve wanted or hoped for or expected from their new driver, to finish third in that car, to lead the race for a while, absolutely vicious in defence. I don’t mean that way wide of the mark, the legal mark, I just mean vicious, to the point where Max Verstappen was thinking ‘woah I need to give this guy a bit of room.’ said the former Williams team manager in his YouTube video.

Verstappen makes a pass

"It reminded me a bit of Max in his earlier days in Formula 1 as well. What George did was absolutely perfect in terms of the way he moved the car, the amount of road that he needed to get in the corner. All that, like Lewis Hamilton, he was having to manage temperatures much more than the Red Bull or indeed Carlos Sainz were," Windsor concludes.

After six races, Russell is also still in good shape for Mercedes. The Briton is fourth in the standings, just 36 points behind Verstappen. If Mercedes manages to turn the tide, he is the man who can open the attack first. Lewis Hamilton is still 28 points behind his younger teammate.