Russell says meeting Hamilton was “like meeting a superhero”

© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

George Russell recalls the first time he met Lewis Hamilton when he was 11 years old and says he immediately thought: “I want to be like him”.

Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix George Russell recalled the first time he met Lewis Hamilton when he was just 11 years old.

“It was like meeting a superhero,” Russell said to the press.

“When you’re a child at that age and you meet an F1 driver, you don’t think those people are human. That was a really special moment for me.

“I even remember it now, which is quite odd to remember a memory from when you were 11 years old.”

The young Briton reveals that meeting inspired him to pursue his dream of being in Formula 1.

“It’s pretty surreal to be lining up alongside him next year. When I did meet him that’s when I thought, I want to be like him, I want to be an F1 driver and I want to win world championships.”


If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!



In an interview with ESPN George described the encounter even futher.

“When you are an 11-year-old kid and you want to be a racing driver and you see a Formula One driver, they are a superhero to you.

“I still remember that day, right now. It just sticks in your memory and it will stick in my memory forever. You look up and you think, ‘Wow, it’s Lewis Hamilton, a Formula One driver’.

“So I guess it is quite surreal that I will be lining up against him next year. But equally, as you grow up and you get inside the paddock, you realise that everybody is a normal person, even if they may be incredibly talented in their given industry.

“But definitely at that time I thought he was a superstar,” concluded Russell.

Follow us on Twitter @SilverArrowsNet and like us on Facebook!

Comments are closed.