George Russell – 2022 World Champion material?

By Joe Man

When Lewis Hamilton contracted Covid 19 before the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, young George Russell got his chance to drive a race winning car for the first time. For many years people had talked about George Russell being a future champion and we finally got to have a look at what he could do.

I felt, in many ways, he didn’t receive the accolades for that drive that he deserved. Yes, he finished ninth but that’s not the story of the race at all. Russell dominated the race in a way that must have shocked some other drivers, primarily because of the little time he had in the car, before the race. Moreover he had to be coached on where the steering wheel buttons were and had to find his way through unfamiliar settings. All this, whilst trying to get a feel for the beast under his control.

Starting second on the grid behind his teammate for the day, Valtteri Bottas, he made the perfect start. He launched it up the inside into the first corner and then started to pull away. By the time the safety car came out on the fifth corner, he was seconds ahead. Signs of domination just like Schumacher or Hamilton on their best days.

Even when Mercedes stuffed it all up for him in the pit stop, Russell wasn’t done. With 10 laps to go he was back to second and destined for victory before a puncture cruelly took it away. It must have been a hard pill to swallow. On the other hand, in time, he must have taken solace in knowing he can win the World Championship in that car.

George has always been a winner. After a glittering Karting career, the Brit has competed in nine different open seater racing categories before F1 and has never finished lower than seventh. Multiple Championships in BRDC Formula 4, GP3 series and Formula 2, were won by Russell as he enhanced his growing reputation as a future star.

Since arriving in Formula 1 its been tough for Russell. Lando Norris and Alex Albon have both said that George was the man to beat throughout their younger years racing together. Yet he was the one who ended up in a Williams car that was dead last and 5 seconds behind everyone else. Week after week with only a teammate to beat, Russell crushed them. Against team mates Nicholas Latifi and the experienced Robert Kubica, Russell out qualified them 56 races in a row!

There are however two massive stories that are about to unfold for George Russell.
How does he race with teammate Hamilton and can he compete with arch rival Max Verstappen. I don’t think Mercedes will implement team orders from day one. I believe they will let Russell and Hamilton race. If George can go with him from the start, then he can put a type of pressure on Lewis that he has not been used to. The whole dynamic of the team could shift, if the new kid gets on top early. Just as Lewis himself experienced in his first season with McLaren. Russell is the future of the team as Hamilton is reaching the end of his time in the sport. It’s only natural that Mercedes will start to shift towards the younger man. I think it will affect Hamilton in a negative way and he will have to use all his legendary fighting skills to come out on top. If things get close and tense, Russell will have to deal with Hamilton’s mind games. It’s a tough ask for a driver his age but if anyone can deal with it, George can.

Assuming Russell can get the best of his teammate, then there is the case of Verstappen.
I felt at times last year that Hamilton wasn’t aggressive enough early on against Max. Hamilton tried to keep it clean and rely on the stewards to keep it in check. It feels bad to say it but I think Lewis should have taken them both off straight away. The more Hamilton avoided the contact, the more his Dutch rivak knew he could send it from anywhere.
I dont think George will be so generous. We have not got to see Russell in combat with the best drivers yet, except for that Sahkir Grand Prix.

This is why I feel he will win the world championship!

He was feisty in that race, wasting no time in attacking all drivers he came across. Compared to his predecessor Valtteri Bottas, I don’t think George will go missing in races. Russell has an air of a man who is not lacking in confidence, especially since scoring points for Williams. He is a man who will believe he will be victorious every time he steps in the car. Bottas may have told himself he could beat Lewis, but I doubt he ever really believed it. Time will tell how he deals with the pressure cooker that is fighting for a World Title, and how he deals with the Red Bull driver.
Max will ask him the question straight away. I’m not backing out, are you?
Russell’s chance at glory likely rests on how he answers that question. Finally, Qualifying is going to be crucial with a field bunched up together. With wheel to wheel racing comes accidents and it’s going to be crucial to have track position.
There is one man who doesn’t mind a bit of qualifying and they call George ‘Mr Saturday’ for a reason.