Russell: 'Great chance to drive alongside the greatest driver ever'

George Russell has had quite a few setbacks in his F1 career due to a long stay at backmarker Williams and his switch to Mercedes at the time Red Bull Racing took over F1. Nevertheless, Russell is happy with his place at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Indeed, driving alongside the seven-time world champion, Russell sees it as an excellent opportunity to prove himself. Speaking to Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Brit said: "I have always hoped to be the best teammate, because I believe in myself. I want to show what I can do. If you want to be champion, you have to be able to take on anyone. For me, it is an extraordinary opportunity to compete against the greatest of all time in the same car. Working with him will make me a better driver."

The two have a good relationship and have a lot of contact about the car and how to improve it. In 2022, Russell was the stronger of the two on the scoreboard. He is currently 55 points behind Hamilton. The Brit explains the big gap by bad luck. According to Russell, he has had bad luck with strategy and with reliability of his car.

Russel continued: "The goal is to win a race and finish second in the constructors' championship. If I can achieve both and then finish behind Lewis, that's not a problem. Nobody remembers who finishes second among the drivers."