Russell: “We are not idiots”

This was one of the (rare) striking images from the last French Grand Prix: the two Williams side by side at the end of the Mistral straight. While George Russell was not rewarded for his first attempt due to a strong defense from his teammate, the Briton won on the next pass.

But don’t think that this battle on the track was badly perceived by the two protagonists, as the young driver explains: « To get through this turn, I knew I had to try to go flat out. For Robert to defend himself, it also had to be flat out. So there was nothing vicious on his part in his maneuver. It was just racing. »

Unfortunately for the reigning F2 champion, he has little opportunity to fight on track because his Williams is significantly below the rest of the field and he regularly outperforms his teammate. Meanwhile, his F2 rivals, Alexander Albon and Lando Norris, are making their mark at the wheels of their Toro Rosso and McLaren. But this doesn’t worry George Russell: “I have to impress Williams and Mercedes. They are the ones who can make a difference in my career. Alex and Lando won’t have an impact on my career. The better they do, the better it is for me.”

In this context, it is important to cling to the small victories that give hope for the future. One of them is that Williams regularly achieves the best pit stops during races, which shows that the current poor results have not affected internal motivation: « Whether fighting for first or last place, everyone wants to show they are the best at what they do. The mechanics are not the ones who design the car. It is important to show that we are not idiots. »

The Briton justifies the current rough patch by the radical change in philosophy adopted for the development of the FW42 compared to previous seasons: « Sometimes, you have to take one step back to take three steps forward. For now, we are still in the stage where we are taking a step back. » While he doesn’t go so far as to say it was intentional to be this far behind, the restructuring of the team, notably with the departure of Paddy Lowe, was inevitably going to result in a complicated start to the season.

The long-term vision of a team still run by family instills confidence that the work will eventually pay off: « If we want to achieve good results next season, it’s important to lay the foundations to maintain a good level afterward. » He does not plan to change teams, unless it is to join the parent company, Mercedes: « You will see me in either a white or gray car in the years to come. »

From our special correspondent in Spielberg