George Russell has no concern over Valtteri Bottas team-work aiding Mercedes call

Mercedes

Russell unconcerned over Bottas team-work aiding Mercedes call

Bottas has shown willingness to assist Hamilton this season

Ewan Gale

Friday 6 August 2021 12:44

George Russell has dismissed suggestions Valtteri Bottas' willingness to help team-mate Lewis Hamilton is a unique selling point in the race for the second Mercedes seat for 2022.

Hamilton is already signed with Mercedes to race into the new era of F1 with Russell and Bottas in competition to race alongside him.

Despite laying clear his championship ambitions, Russell insisted the team will always be first among his priorities.

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Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell said: "My ambitions and goals are incredibly clear and I want to become the F1 world champion but I would never put my own agenda or my own goals above the team no matter who my team-mate is.

"That is the same here at Williams now. I would never do anything to hurt my relationship with my team-mate and I recognise that to be able to achieve your own goals, you need the team to be operating on all cylinders.

"That team spirit and dynamic needs to be at the top of its game just to be able to achieve the team's objectives.

"If the team achieves, then as a driver you have got a shot but I never put my own agenda or goals above the team's."

Russell backs up talk with on track performance

Williams took its first points since 2019 and its first double top 10 finish since 2018 in Hungary.

Proving true to his word, with Nicholas Latifi running third in the early stages, Russell instructed the team to sacrifice his own race if it would benefit the Canadian.

"It was sort of an undercut race in Hungary," explained Russell.

"So I knew Nicholas was in third and I knew if he came home with a P3 or a P4, those 15 or 12 points would be absolutely enough to seal P8 in the championship.

“I’ve always said it. I will put the team’s agenda above mine because ultimately I’m a team player and I want us as a team to score as many points as possible.

“Nicholas made a fantastic start. He’s making huge progress and it may not seem it on the face of it but he’s really been pushing me and just as a team we deserved to come away with those points.

“I would happily have stayed out longer to stop the guys ahead from undercutting or boxed straight away to do the undercut and let Nicholas go long if that would have meant at least one of us scored big.”