Brawn full of praise for "exceptional" Russell

Ross Brawn was full of praise for George Russell at the end of the Sakhir Grand Prix. The 22-year-old Brit replaced seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, at Mercedes this weekend and did so with confidence. Unfortunately a rare Mercedes pit error cost him the win.

Positive weekend for Russell

"George should be very positive about this weekend, despite the disappointing final result. He delivered an exceptional performance in pretty challenging circumstances," said Brawn in his column on F1.com.

Brawn explained that he had always thought Russell was very talented and that the race at the Bahrain International Circuit confirmed his talent. "George demonstrated that he has got that extra little bit – and a star is born. There is now no doubt that he’s F1 world champion material. He didn’t make any mistakes in a challenging situation and all the problems were the team’s, not his," Brawn continued.

Exceptional talent

Russell came close to winning twice, but mistakes made by the team and a deflated tyre let Russell down. In the end he had to settle for ninth place and the fastest lap. "Any doubts anyone had, will be gone. Clearly he’s exceptional."