Russell 'not doing enough to relax' beyond F1

Williams' George Russell is in search of a pastime to put his mind off the high-strung world of F1 when he's away from the sport's fast lane.

The 21-year-old rookie's challenging maiden season in Grand Prix racing has been well chronicled, along with Williams' hardship, the Grove-based outfit still fighting to extricate itself from the doldrums.

Russell knows his formative year in F1 has been about beating his team mate - a box he has clearly ticked - and gaining knowledge and experience, precious assets he will capitalize on later in his career, when his equipment becomes worthy of his abundant talent.

• Russell hopes 'under the radar' season will pay future dividends

But racing at the tail end of the field isn't void of physical and mental constraints, much to the contrary as frustrations and annoyances swell for a backmarker.

To quell the tensions, relaxation and distractions beyond the track are paramount, except that Russell has yet find a suitable hobby.

"I’m not doing enough to relax at the moment," Russell told Yahoo Sport.

"My mentality coming into this year, because I didn't know what to fully expect being a Formula One driver, was that I just wanted to give it absolutely everything and review what it takes to be an F1 driver at the end of the year.

"I really understand now that I need to find something to get me away from F1, to relax, to take my mind off it.

"I'm still yet to find that but it will probably end up being golf."

Golf offers a good blend of physical exercise and mental demands, although it can also be a massive source of frustration. Not to mention Russell's complete status as novice when it comes to the fairway or the putting green.

The Williams drivers' agenda is still bursting at the seams with his F1 commitments, on and off the track, but golf is on his upcoming schedule.

"At the moment I'm non-stop because when you get back from a race, go see the team, head into the simulator, do the correlation, have a marketing event here and there, meetings with whoever, then you do your training and before you know it, you're off again. It's intense," he said.

"As I'm a sporty guy, everything I like is quite active. I do various things as part of my fitness, so arguably, it's still work, and not something I would do on a day off.

"With golf, I do think if I put my mind to it, get lessons, then do it properly then there's no reason why I can't do it.

"I'm not going to be Tiger Woods, but if I at least hit the ball straight and not end up in the trees every other shot, that will be fine."

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