F1 News
Palmer praises British rookies: "They've both been extremely quick"
Lando Norris and George Russell have put themselves in a good position to become the next flagbearer for British Formula 1 when Lewis Hamilton departs. While Russell is the only driver on the grid not to score points in 2019, he's been showcasing his skills in a weak Williams car.
Norris has also demonstrated good pace in his McLaren and sits inside the top 10 in the Formula 1 world championship. After the first half of the season closed last weekend, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer dishes out praise in his BBC column.
"It's not just Hamilton who has done a good job this year; the other Brits have been fantastic as well. Both rookies Lando Norris and George Russell might have been expected to take some time to bed in, but they have both been extremely quick from the outset," Palmer said.
"Norris has been faster than team-mate Carlos Sainz fairly convincingly across the first 12 races, although he trails him by a long way in the standings. Russell has had a tougher time, because of the difficult position in which the Williams team find themselves, but he has done everything that could be expected of him."
Russell has finished behind teammate Robert Kubica on just two occasions in 2019. The 21-year-old qualified in P16 for the Hungarian Grand Prix to show that the Williams upgrades have worked. Palmer says he'll be wanting to use more of this after the summer break.
"He has utterly demolished Robert Kubica in the team-mate stakes except in Germany - and that will no doubt hurt as his fellow Williams driver somehow took the team's only point so far," Palmer added.
"With Williams showing more potential in Hungary, Russell will be hopeful of more eventful outings for the second half of the season to truly show his potential."