'Proud feeling' prevails for Russell: 'Incredibly high-pressure situation'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
OnGeorge Russell experienced a strong start at Mercedes. Although he did not manage to compete for the world title in 2022, he did manage to take the team's only victory. At Mercedes' official website he looks back on his victory in Brazil.
After a difficult first half of the season, Mercedes had a taste for it after the summer break. However, it had yet to secure a victory in the closing stages of the season. In Brazil, Russell managed to win the sprint race, allowing him to start the main race in pole position.
It was then not easy for Russell to stay in the lead. Indeed, his teammate Lewis Hamilton also smelt his chances. It ensured that the seven-time world champion stayed close and that Russell could not afford a misstep.
"Having Lewis in my mirrors – knowing he was only 1.3 second behind me - made it all an incredibly high-pressure situation," Russell remembers. "I had my engineer Riki giving me those gaps lap after lap, just knowing that I couldn’t make a single mistake as that would have given him an opportunity to pounce."
Relief afterwards for Russell
For Russell, this caused a lot of joy afterwards. "The moment I crossed that line it was a huge relief. Knowing that we accomplished that victory as a team, but also for myself on a personal level knowing that I had handled that situation and handled that pressure was something I was very proud of."