George Russell hoped to be more competitive in his first three years in Formula One, but Williams had a difficult time. The Briton knew in 2020 that the following season would also be very difficult for him. He hinted that he wanted to leave the Grove-based team. Contractually this was not possible.
George Russell hoped to be more competitive in his first three years in Formula One, but Williams had a difficult time. The Briton knew in 2020 that the following season would also be very difficult for him. He hinted that he wanted to leave the Grove-based team. Contractually that was not possible.
"In retrospect, three years driving alone at the end of the grid was a long time. But unfortunately Claire (Williams) did a good job in the contract negotiations and there was no way out," Russell said. The driver, now 24, signed a multi-year contract, making it impossible for him to drive for another team in 2021.
If Mercedes had hired Russell, it would have been very easy for him to make the switch. However, Toto Wolff and his men opted for Valtteri Bottas alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2021, and so Russell had no choice. What followed was another lonely season at the back, although he managed to finish in the points four times.
In 2018, Williams was already having a very mediocre season with Felipe Massa and Sergey Sirotkin, but that didn't stop Russell from signing with Williams. "But we thought this was a team that at the time could bounce back, and they would be back from P5 to P3. So we all agreed that three years was a good period, fighting for points, maybe podiums," he commented.
In this respect, the current Mercedes driver was disappointed, but overall he believes that 2022 was the right time to join the winning team from Brackley. The new regulations make it easier for Russell to match Hamilton's level of performance, as last year's car was already designed to his desires. Now, Russell can have much more information and (partially) shape the car according to his own wishes.