General
Webber curious how Russell copes with higher expectations
- GPblog.com
George Russell can show in 2022 how good he really is. He will have to compete with Lewis Hamilton, but according to Mark Webber, first and foremost it will be interesting to see how the replacement for Valtteri Bottas will cope with the higher expectations.
Webber believes that it will be a great challenge for Russell to take on Hamilton. However, the former Formula 1 driver thinks that the young Brit is ready for it, after all he already has almost 50 Grands Prix behind his name. Whether Russell will be able to make everything work immediately at Mercedes remains to be seen.
More pressure
"It's different to qualify well in a below average car and do well when you have little pressure. George will know that there will be a huge shift in intensity that comes with the expectation that he qualifies on the front row every week and finishes in first place every race," Webber said in an interview with Formelaustria.at.
In the past three years, Russell has only been on the podium once with his old employer Williams. In last year's rained-out Belgian Grand Prix, he finished second. It seems very likely that the number of podium finishes will increase next season.