A wary Russell sizes up 'fantastic' Antonelli: "Going to be competitive"
F1 News
Following Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, George Russell has now taken the mantle as the 'more experienced driver' at Mercedes which has opened his eyes to the current stage of his career and in a season set to be the stage for the debut of a myriad of young talents ready to take the series by storm, one of them, being his new teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Briton feels 'ready now to fulfil roles at the team'.
In the second part of an interview released in Mercedes' official channels, Russell, recognising his role "as the more experienced driver," shared his outlook on the 2025 season, which will see no less than six drivers entering their first full fledge season as F1 drivers, with Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman having already previously made their debuts in the series.
"No longer the youngster"
"There are a lot of great young drivers coming onto the grid, and it makes you realise you are no longer the youngster," which in turn compels him to contemplate on his future as an F1 driver. "I am entering a new chapter in my career. I am ending my beginning and entering the mid stage."
And he's got two shining examples of drivers whose successes he hopes to emulate: "Lewis was 29 when he joined Mercedes and started winning all those championships, and Michael [Schumacher] was early 30's at Ferrari." How exactly he expects to do that? The soon to be 27 year old explains.
"I feel ready now to fulfil roles at the team, but the most important part of that is driving as quickly as possible, and I feel in a good place to do that. I’ll continue to want to learn and be open and take nothing for granted," adding that "you either have the speed or you don’t."
Russell on 'fantastic' Antonelli
Speaking about the rookies set to make their debut in F1 this year, Russell was clear saying, "There is no doubt these guys coming in are going to be competitive." One of the aforementioned rookies is the Briton's new teammate at Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, lauded by many as a prodigy, although the team's principal, Toto Wolff, has chosen to quiet down the noise surrounding his Italian pupil as of late in an effort to minimise the pressure prior to Antonelli's debut.
"He is such a fantastic driver. He does not have the experience yet, but I am sure he will be up to speed very quickly," said Russell. "He has already integrated so well. We have both been racing from a young age and we know what needs to be fed back to the team," added the Briton. "He is young, but his opinion will be just as valid," concluded Russell, setting the tone for the dynamics that will take place between both Mercedes drivers this year.
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