Mercedes to profit from Russell's "very wide window of experience"
Mercedes to profit from Russell's "very wide window of experience"
George Russell has no doubt Mercedes will benefit from what he has described as his "very wide window of experience" after a three-year spell with Williams.
Russell has finally been given his shot with the reigning F1 constructors' champions who opted to sign the 23-year-old Briton instead of retaining Valtteri Bottas for what would have been a sixth consecutive season.
Those seasons with Williams were naturally tough for Russell who has had to learn F1 the hard way by running in back-of-the-grid machinery, although his final year in 2021 at least offered relief with points and the unusual podium in Belgium.
Put to Russell in an end-of-season interview that included GPFans that drivers do not necessarily become quicker they simply improve over time, he replied: “Absolutely, I totally agree.
"I don't believe a driver gets quicker. They do get better, more consistent and probably what has allowed me to do that is having a better understanding of the technical side.
“What does it take to get the tyres in the right window to start a lap? How do you deal with your out laps to make sure you're in the right position, not in too much traffic? If there is traffic, how do you deal with that? What do you need to do differently if a tyre is too hot or too cold?
“Having built up that toolbox of experience knowing, right, I couldn't have the perfect out lap because there was some traffic in sector three so I'm going to be slightly under the limit at turn one, but then from turn two onwards the tyre should be in a good window to be able to go from there.
“If you go banzai into turn one and the tyres are slightly too cold, your lap's gone. So [it is about] understanding these limitations.
“Then when you get into a race that's the really tricky bit, managing so many things at once."
Despite the backmarker problems Russell endured with Williams, he at least feels he has been "quite fortunate" to have experienced such difficulties.
“I feel like we've had this very wide window of experience that will allow me to delve into it under certain circumstances," added Russell who felt he was more prone to be able to push to the limit with an almost 'nothing-to-lose' mentality.
"If you're in a championship battle, no matter what the position is, if you've a relatively optimised package, you don't feel comfortable to step outside of the comfort zone too often because you can't risk it. Every race is so valuable.
“So, we know this is what works, so we've just got to continue in this rhythm and try and have the best possible.
“Whereas [at Williams], we could explore setup quite drastically, and I could explore my driving style quite drastically because we were effectively in this big, long test session.
“Every single race we were approaching it as 'Let's just keep pushing the tyres and building this understanding so that when the time does come, we should be able to be on top of things'.
"I think that helped us, in given circumstances and tricky conditions, to make more from it.
“Obviously, I would have loved to have been in the fight, in the mix racing harder. But ultimately, when I got back to that position, I feel like I didn't miss out on anything.
"It's still racing, at the end of the day, and you've got to take the positives in every situation."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
- 5 minutes ago
Horner admits Red Bull at MAJOR disadvantage with new rules
- 1 hour ago
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
- 2 hours ago
Sainz manager speaks out on 'game playing' over contract
- 3 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: World champion reveals 'logical' winning F1 Hamilton combination
- Today 17:57
Why F1's RADICAL proposed points change is a positive step
- Today 15:57
Related news
Hamilton car camera captures Verstappen's TRUE feelings toward F1 rival
Marko reveals Vettel requirements for stunning F1 comeback
Fierce Hamilton F1 rival raises timing issue for Ferrari move
Wolff admits CHANGE of plan over Hamilton F1 replacement
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860