Column | George Russell’s golden ticket isn’t the Mercedes seat itself

George Russell’s patient wait has ended after Mercedes announced the signing of the young British driver for the 2022 Formula 1 season. It’s the seat virtually every single driver has wanted in F1, but Russell has seemingly been nailed on for it since he completed his debut season in 2019. 

Mercedes is the dream for most, but the real golden ticket for Russell is sitting alongside Lewis Hamilton. The 36-year-old signed a contract earlier in the season which will see him on the grid for the 2022 season, and 2023. Whilst Russell’s three-year degree at Williams is over, his postgraduate course begins at Mercedes under Professor Hamilton. 

Kimi Raikkonen, and a fair chunk of the grid competing in the IndyCar series, prove that you can continue racing at the highest level beyond your 40th birthday. But the reality is, Hamilton won’t be at Mercedes for much longer through the choice of his own retirement. Thus giving Russell the perfect chance to learn from the best before taking over as the leader. 

Learning lessons

With a century of pole positions and an inevitable century of wins in Formula 1, there’s nobody better to learn from than Hamilton. Deep analyse and direct comparison regarding braking points, racing lines on corner entry/exit and styles of driving can be exchanged between the two Brits. 

The rule and regulation book is having a reprint over the winter break and that will alter many, if not all fundamental packages on the Mercedes car. Therefore, they’ll be many changes for Hamilton. But that’s the same up and down the grid and there’s surely nobody Russell would prefer to lay the foundations with at the start of a new era. 

Tips on how to deal with turmoil, disastrous weekends, on and off-track battles with rivals and the media pressures can be exchanged. Some of which is Russell’s weak point. The motorsport world saw how he initially reacted to the crash with Bottas’ in Imola. Evidence that Russell is still a little bit raw. 

Sit and wait

With the struggling Williams car, Russell had to sit and wait parked at the back of the grid. At times, a look up the grid towards his junior category rivals might have caused jealously. Lando Norris, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon have all secured Formula 1 podiums and it has been somewhat easier for those drivers to showcase their skills. Though Albon was perhaps unsuccessful. 

Ignoring the one-off cameo in the Mercedes, Russell has been scrapping for positions in the second half of the field. In qualifying, Russell has been sublime and remains undefeated in a Williams car on Saturdays. Russell finally scored points in recent weeks and managed to shine with a podium in the Belgian Grand Prix following a sublime qualifying lap in the wet. 

The mountainous task of waiting it out has paid off for Russell. He’s managed to showcase enough skills despite being outside the points every weekend. Perhaps a glimmer of hope for the likes of Mick Schumacher and future F1 stars. 

The Mercedes seat is extremely beneficial for Russell and will be worth its weight in gold over the long term. After all, they’ve won every single Championship F1 has had on offer since 2014. But the real golden ticket for Russell is learning lessons from Hamilton in the short term.