© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
George Russell explains his comment aimed at Mick Schumacher at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, which earned him criticism from fans.
After a pitlane start at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, George Russell spent most of the race stuck behind drivers at the back of the field.
At one point he got stuck behind the Haas of Mick Schumacher, and after some time his frustration came out over the team radio.
“Schumacher is defending like it’s the race of his life, crikey,” George said.
Since the message was broadcast for the whole world to hear, the Briton received criticism on social media from some fans and observers.
He later explained that these types of comments are normal between drivers and their teams, but because he is now racing for a top team, he has to get used to the fact that his radio messages are often picked up.
“These are things that are part of the experience when you are at the front,” Russell told Motorsport.
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“Everything is under the microscope and that kind of comment last year [in 2021] would not have been picked up on.
“But I think there are two parts of it: one, it’s fighting your case, but two, it’s you just trying to offload some frustrations. And you do sometimes forget you are talking to the whole world.”
George then explained the comment was a result of his frustration with being stuck at the back of the field.
“My comment with Mick was more frustration from my side. I’ve travelled to the other side of the world, put so much effort into that race, and there I am fighting outside the points.
“I am frustrated, I am upset. And anybody who is frustrated or upset, physically exhausted, you are going to be a little bit emotional in the heat of the moment.
“If you go running on the treadmill for one and half hours in 30 degrees heat, with high humidity, and you’ve been overloaded mentally, then something happens that goes against you, you are going to be a bit frustrated.
“This is part of my experience of, one, controlling this [frustration], and two, ‘do I need to say it publicly?’ And I think that’s one of the challenges of this sport.
“You have no privacy. I have chosen to be the racing driver, because my dream is to become a Formula 1 world champion.
“My dream isn’t to be famous, to be in front of the TV cameras day in and day out. My job and my dream is to race and to win.
“Some of these comments, this is to achieve that, forgetting that there are millions and millions of people watching at home and every single word is being written down and under the microscope.
“This is also an experience for me. As I said, I probably said a lot of comments like this previously over the radio, but no one gave two damns,” Russell concluded.
