Early Russell move to Mercedes 'hatedly' blocked by team principal

15:25, 10 May

byNorberto Mujica

Claire Williams, former deputy team principal at Williams blocked an early move to Mercedes by George Russell, something she reveals now 'hated' to do.

For the now Mercedes lead driver, it wasn't one or two years at the back with Williams Racing, but three seasons altogether from 2019 to 2021, due to deputy team principal Williams holding him to his contract.

Carlos Sainz (ESP) Atlassian Williams Racing FW46 and George Russell (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W16 battle for position.

'I couldn't let Russell go to Mercedes and I hated that'

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Williams revealed the ins and outs of the complex situation.

“George wanted to go to Mercedes in that last couple of years and I couldn’t let him go and I hated that. It makes me upset to think about it."

In his first outing for Mercedes in the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020, Russell proved to be ready for a step up to Mercedes after he nearly won a race he dominated with authority, but the strategic errors at the German squad, prevented him from taking the victory, and gave it instead to Sergio Perez.

Williams needed him more than Mercedes

However, the professional the Briton is, he excelled during his time at Williams with the highlight of his tenure in the Grove-based team being a P2 in the rather short race in Spa.

“I needed him, I felt, more than Mercedes and he was in contract. If I let him go, what message would that have sent? What would that have done to my team if I’d have let George go?

“He was one of the greatest things that we had at Williams."

'Mercedes didn't want to cough up what Russell was worth'

Williams reveals that though Mercedes wanted Russell, they didn't want to pay for what she believed her top-echelon driver was worth. Hence, she had yet another reason for keeping him in her team's ranks just a little while longer.

“When you go into a negotiation with a team like Mercedes and they’re not offering you what they should be for your A-star driver, then why would you just let him go? What kind of team principal would I have been if I’d have just let George go because Mercedes said, ‘We want George now’. That’s not how it works, is it?