Russell has moved up to a full-time Mercedes F1 seat for the coming season after driving for client Williams squad for the past three years.
Russell’s accomplishments at Williams earned him widespread recognition throughout the F1 paddock and convinced Mercedes to partner him with Lewis Hamilton five years after joining the junior program.
While appearances in Hungary, Belgium and Russia were the highlights of Russell’s 2021 season, Williams broke the points after a few bitterly missed opportunities in the previous two years since joining the team in 2019.
Talking about his development during his three years at Williams, Russell talked about the importance of overcoming setbacks quickly, and said there are a few “failed” moments.
Russell selected the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello as a race that “probably went under the radar for a lot of people” after falling out of the points late. It would have been his first F1 score and Williams’ first since Germany in 2019.
“We got off to a really strong start and then there was the incident and I actually finished in the points for most of the race,” Russell said in a round table conversation with Motorsport.com late last year.
“I think I was on P10 most of the time. And then [Charles] Leclerc has to pit for some reason, he didn’t catch up so I was on P9 for during the red flag [Lance] The Stroll Incident.
“Then I got off to a bad start and it felt like it was our only chance of the year because we didn’t really have any chances until then. It was like the opportunity just passed and we will never get the opportunity.
“That was our only chance. It was a really tough affair after this race. “
Marshals clear the damaged car of Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, from the gravel bed
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Russell also chose the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in 2020 as another difficult moment “for obvious reasons” after falling in tenth behind the safety car.
After Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 before the Sakhir Grand Prix in December 2020, Russell was given the chance to join the senior Mercedes team and prove himself in top machines.
Russell qualified second and dominated the race before a strategic error by Mercedes and a late tire failure prevented him from a likely win. He felt it was an “emotional roller coaster ride”.
“Everything that has happened this week, the spotlight on me, the constant review of my performance, the amount of work that was just put into fixing the seat and learning all of its procedures, working with the engineers buttons on Getting the steering wheel, understanding the car – that was a hell of a lot to do, “said Russell.
“That was exhausting in itself, and of course the race looked pretty good and everything was suddenly under control. It was pretty difficult to just go away. “
Finally, Russell highlighted his second Imola crash in the 2021 race – when he collided with Valtteri Bottas in the battle for ninth place – as another big moment to recover from.
“These are the four moments in my three years that struck me that were emotionally brutal,” said Russell.
“It was just a matter of learning to deal with it. I look back on Bahrain with no frustration or harsh feelings.
“That probably made me a stronger driver.”
Last year Russell secured his first points for Williams in Hungary after the team took advantage of the chaos at the start and a grueling race to get both cars into the top 10.
After finishing eighth in Hungary, Russell was on the podium in Belgium after a stunning qualifying lap secured him second place on the grid that would remain after the two laps behind the safety car.
More points followed for Russell in Italy and Russia, earning him a total of 16 points for the season to mark the most successful year for a Williams driver since 2017 and to help the team finish eighth in the constructors’ championship.
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https://formulaone.news/mercedes/lack-of-track-time-led-to-red-bulls-slow-adaptation-in-f1
