© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
George Russell says praise he received from Lewis Hamilton after the Sakhir Grand Prix “means a huge amount”, but he doesn’t let it affect him.
As a Mercedes junior driver, George Russell had the opportunity to watch Lewis Hamilton at work on the track and in the garage. The young Briton says his respect for Lewis has grown tremendously since he started with Mercedes in 2017.
“Lewis is a legend, obviously the greatest and statistically he will be the greatest of all-time by the end of this year, I’m sure,” Russell told the Sportsman.
“I’ve got the utmost respect for him, for what he does on the track, how he deals with the engineers, and so my respect for him has grown tremendously in the last four years or so.”
After Russell replaced Lewis for the Sakhir Grand Prix, the seven-time champion was full of praise for his performance. Russell appreciates the acknowledgment, but tries to keep a level head.
“To receive such high praise means a huge amount, but equally I don’t let it affect me because Lewis isn’t going to make a difference in my career.”
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The young Briton got his opportunity to drive for Mercedes after Hamilton got diagnosed with COVID-19. Not the most ideal of circumstances, but he made the most of it.
“I went into it with the approach that it’s not going to break my career, but could potentially make it and I think it was a massive stepping stone to, I hope, a long future in F1 to come.
“I was really grateful for the chance, obviously not in the circumstances I would have wished, but nevertheless with the short notice we had, it gave me a chance to show what I can do from the front,” concluded the Briton.
And while Russell is still bound to Williams for 2021, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says his future lies with Mercedes.
“Russell will definitely play a role in our future lineup,” the Austrian told RTL.
“He just has to trust us and be patient.”
