F1 News
"We're still a long way off but there are positives"
Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Williams rookie George Russell thought there were positives to take from the Austrian Grand Prix, in which he finished 18th, as the Brit does concede his team is still "a long way off".
Starting from the pitlane after changing the spec on his front wing under parc fermé, Russell got back in the mix quickly and competed with other midfield cars at the start of the race at the Red Bull Ring.
“I managed to fight the Toro Rosso’s and the Haas at the beginning, hold them up for a bit and I managed to hold off Magnussen in the closing stages," the 20-year-old said.
"We’re still a long way off, but there’s a few positives in there. Those opening laps were good."
The highlight of those opening laps was a sweet double overtake on Daniil Kvyat and Robert Kubica, as the reigning F2 champion dove into a gap in the run-up to turn three to win two positions at once.
“I managed to take Robert and Daniil Kvyat at once, which was surprising and nice. I was pushing absolutely flat out every single lap, and I’m glad it was noticed. We need to be patient now and wait for some more downforce to come to the car.”
Adding to his P15 in Monaco, Russell is slowly but surely getting more in the mix in midfield, showing some positive signs from the development at the Williams factory in Grove. Can he ever fight for points this season?
