Russell pleased with Hamilton praise but insists it has no influence on his career
19:49, 28 Jan 2021
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Despite driving for Williams again next season, George Russell is not worried about his future in Formula One. While he is happy to have proved himself in the Mercedes at Sakhir last year, and feels honored by Hamilton's praise, Russell also knows something else: Hamilton will not play a defining role in his racing career.
"Lewis is a legend, obviously the greatest and statistically he will be the greatest of all-time by the end of this year, I'm sure," Russell Began in conversation with The Sportsman.
"I've got the Utmost respect for him, for what he does on the track, how he deals with the engineers, and so my respect for him has grown tremendously in the last four years or so."
Shining on Sakhir
It was his raid on the second weekend of racing in Bahrain that convinced many Formula One fans that he was capable of mixing it with the best. Fellow countryman Hamilton also complimented him after the race. However, Russell believes he will not be influenced by this recognition as he knows Hamilton will not have a major impact on his career: “To receive such high praise means a huge amount, but equally I don't let it affect me because Lewis isn't going to make a difference in my career. ”
Russell also looked back on his experience of the weekend in question. He said: “I went into it with the approach that it's not going to break my career but could potentially make it and I think it was a massive stepping stone to, I hope, a long future in F1 to come. I was really grateful for the chance, obviously not in the circumstances I would have wished, but nevertheless with the short notice we had, it gave me a chance to show what I can do from the front."
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