Russell thinks it's all or nothing: "Then I'm not a world champion yet"

An interesting point to watch in 2022 will be George Russell's debut year at Mercedes. The pressure from fans and the media on the special talent at the championship team is sky-high, but the Briton may be setting his own bar even higher.

Towering pressure for Russell

George Russell moved on to Formula 1 in 2019 after his world title in Formula 2. There he joined Williams, where he was condemned to drive at the back of the field for two years. The young Briton did showcase his talent, but it was simply impossible to turn it into results. In 2021, the team seemed to be on a rise and Russell did manage to turn his talent into results here and there.

In the upcoming year, it is almost inevitable that the Briton will fight for podiums and maybe even take a victory. Russell makes the switch to the mighty Mercedes outfit. It remains to be seen what the exact ranking of the teams will be on the grid with the new cars and new regulations, but the pressure is high for Russell. His teammate Lewis Hamilton will not make it easy for him either.

But Russell is raising the bar even higher

Although the pressure is high, it can be said that Russell may be setting the bar even higher for himself. In an interview with Crash.net the Brit reveals that for him it is all or nothing. After his first Q2 he was happy, but at some point that became normal for him. His first Q3 he celebrated big, but that also became more normal and normal. Russell: "Until you're world champion, it's really never enough."

Russell says that of course he would rather finish in P10 than at the back, but he stresses that this is not what matters to him. "It's not a linear process. If I'm in P10, I'm still not a world champion. So I'm not very fussed." If Red Bull Racing and Mercedes emerge as the two strongest teams again this year, Russell will be busy not only with Hamilton, but also with Max Verstappen; a particularly tough job.