Shrewd Russell knocks up a quick PowerPoint!

40

Many remember that George Russell famously tried to secure a seat at Williams for the 2018 season with the help of a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation.

As the 2017 GP3 winner, Russell visited the Grove-based outfit and projected to then tech boss Paddy Lowe a PP file that included the stats and facts to back up his outstanding talent.

Lowe was impressed, as no young driver had ever utilized such a process to put himself in the running for an F1 drive.

While Williams considered that 2018 was too early to launch Russell into the lions' pit, the young Briton was on the grid with the team a year later, perhaps partly thanks to the sweeping presentation he had shown the year before.

Yesterday, after the news of Sebastian Vettel's departure from Ferrari, Russell fired up his laptop and launched the PowerPoint app. To update his stats and facts for whom it may eventually concern…

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.