Russell admits: 'I crossed the line too often in my pursuit of success'

19:01, 15 Jan

byLudo van Denderen

George Russell states that in the past, in his pursuit of success, he too often pushed the limit—and crossed it—with all the consequences that entailed. A changed mindset has made the Mercedes driver smarter and better.

Russell is seen by a growing group of analysts and Formula 1 followers as a very important contender for the world title in 2026. No one will deny that the Briton has transformed from a young, sometimes impetuous driver into someone who generally maximises results.

On the limit and sometimes over it

Knowing where the limit is and not crossing it is what Russell has learned through gaining more experience, the Mercedes driver says in an interview with GPblog. “I think so. I think it has always been in my nature, even before Formula 1, and it helped me win championships.”

There was, however, a period when Russell deliberately sought out the limit and then crossed it. “During my time with Lewis [Hamilton], I wanted to push myself to see if I had even more in me and to move the boundaries to see what would happen. That was in 2023.”

George Russell - Photo: RacePictures

“Because I wasn’t satisfied with merely fighting for podiums. I wanted to push the limits to achieve a top result rather than settle for a podium or fourth place. And in the end, that cost me a bit,” Russell reflects. After that period, he decided to take a more measured approach, which has paid off for him.

Russell the leader of Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton is no longer at Mercedes, and since then, Russell has taken over the role of team leader. That seems to suit him. Analysing himself, the Briton says: “I think I’m quite a rational and objective person. In this sport, emotions often run high, especially in the heat of the battle.”

“That’s fine in itself, but when you’re in the technical meeting or with the designers discussing updates and the direction we need to go, it’s very important to keep a clear mind, not overreact, and try to find a more objective explanation for a given weekend, whether it was a success or a failure.”

“There’s never a single reason why a weekend is great or bad, but there are always theories that point you in a certain direction. If you execute a plan based on such a theory, it can potentially send you the wrong way. So I think, partly thanks to James Allison’s return, we’ve also become smarter as a team.”

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