George Russell Scores His Maiden F1 Pole

George Russell is one of the most talented drivers in F1. Even though he is young, his career has been one with many accolades. Let’s look at his journey to stardom.

How did Russel get into F1?

George Russell began racing by karting in 2006. From 2006 to 2013, he was Motor Sport Association (MSA) British champion, Super One British champion in 2009, and kartmasters Grand Prix champion in 2010. In 2014, he debuted as a Koiranen GP racer in Formula 2.0 Renault and raced in Formula 4, Formula 3 European Championship, GP3 series, and Formula 2.

During this period, he won the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) formula championship in 2014, the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2014, and the 2017 GP3 series. He became the youngest driver to join the British racing drivers’ club superstar program. Russel’s Formula 1 career started in 2017 as a junior driver for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, and he raced in Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice races.

Russell’s Contract with Williams Mercedes

In October 2018, Russell signed a multi-year contract with the Williams Mercedes team and was to partner Robert Kubica for the 2019 season. At the German Grand Prix GP, he lost the 10th position to Robert Kubica and missed out on getting his maiden point in Formula 1.

Russell got his first F1 career point during the 2020 season, and was a stand-in for Lewis Hamilton who tested positive for Covid-19 during the Sakhir Grand Prix. At the Sakhir Grand Prix GP, Russell earned his first championship points.

He was applauded for his performance at the tournament by both the media and Mercedes as he was close to winning the race. He returned to Williams to complete his contract and won his first podium finish with them.

Russell joins the Mercedes team

After Valtteri Bottas’ contract with Mercedes expired in 2021, Russell joined the team to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton. With Mercedes, Russell participated in the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, British Grand Prix, and he finally got his first pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix!

Hungarian Grand Prix - His First Pole Position

At the Hungarian Grand Prix GP qualifiers, Mercedes were represented by Russell and Hamiliton. At the first race, Hamilton finished with the fastest lap time while Russell finished second. In Q2, Russell was not able to register a fast lap finish, he finished seventh with Max Verstappen leading. However in Q3, Russell was second after the initial race but during the last lap challenge, he came from the 4th position to clinch his maiden pole position, speeding past Carlos Saint Jr and Charles Leclerc.

George Russell has shown that he possesses what it takes to be a world champion like his partner, Lewis Hamilton, and with his contract with Mercedes, Russell has time and a good team to fulfill that potential.

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