George Russell scores big points for the future
By taking the lead in the F2 championship, George Russell has sent a strong message for the future. Mercedes could promote him to F1 next season.
The prospect of a duel between George Russell, backed by Mercedes, and Lando Norris, supported by McLaren, was the highlight of the F2 season. It was the Carlin driver who struck first by winning the first race in Sakhir. But to date, that remains his only victory in the category.
Conversely, the ART Grand Prix driver experienced a much more complicated start to the season, losing numerous points due to technical issues at the start and also during a collision with Nyck de Vries.
This weekend in Austria, he had an almost perfect weekend, securing the pole position and the win in the first race, before making a phenomenal start that saw him climb from eighth to second place in just six laps.
When asked about this rivalry, George Russell does not shy away from the question and reaffirms his ambition: I was eager to race against Lando this year. There is a lot of buzz around him. I wanted to prove to myself that I was one of the best and that I would make my way to F1. If everyone thinks he’s one of the best young drivers right now, I might as well face him. People are starting to realize that there isn’t just one very talented driver. There is an extremely competitive pack.
His four victories have not gone unnoticed, and his name is increasingly mentioned for an F1 seat next season, especially if he does win the championship.
This has the merit of putting healthy pressure on Esteban Ocon, who is currently the young driver in pole position to be promoted within Mercedes, should a seat become available.
The Frenchman is well aware that his place in the team, and even in F1, is not guaranteed. But it’s a situation he has experienced before since he was the promising young rookie that Mercedes lined up against his previous benchmark, Pascal Wehrlein. He emerged victorious, and the German has since returned to DTM for the star firm’s last season in the category.
The big loser of this internal competition could be Sergio Perez if Mercedes insists, particularly through a substantial discount on the engine bill for Sahara Force India, to be able to benchmark its two protégés in the same environment.
Definitely, at all levels, the 2019 transfer market promises to be very busy.
From our special correspondent in Austria
