Russell focused on moving Williams up the grid, not on Kubica

©Williams

Williams' new recruit George Russell says his priority at the outset next season will be to help move the Grove-based squad up the grid rather than beat team mate Robert Kubica.

Russell will embark on his maiden season of Grand Prix racing in 2019, starting his career with F1's third most successful team but an outfit that has slumped to the back of the field in the past two seasons.

The 2018 FIA Formula 2 champion knows he'll have his work cut out for him next year as his learns his trade at the pinnacle of motorsport while also helping Williams lift itself from the doldrums.

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"My outright main target is to push Williams to progress back up the field and get them back to where they belong," he told Sky Sports News.

"Neither myself nor Robert are interested in fighting each other for 19th and 20th on the grid, so our primary focus is to work together on the team to push us forward.

"Then when the results start coming in, we can start thinking about each other."

Russell's promotion to the big time will logically require a period of adjustment and a very different workload than the one he has been accustomed to in the junior ranks.

How will he prepare for the task ahead this winter?

"Just spending time with the team," he said.

"I’ve gone from working with 30 people in Formula 2 to 750 at Williams so just getting to know everybody, going round all the different departments and just building myself into this team."

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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.