Russell won't 'copy' Hamilton to become the best in F1

George Russell ambitions to become the best driver in Formula 1 but achieving that goal isn't about copying the best, but rather about becoming the best version of himself.

After a three-year apprenticeship with Williams, Russell has moved on to the next big level with Mercedes.

Despite the Brackley squad's troubles this season with its new-generation car, Russell is well on track to fulfilling his team's high expectations.

Save for his early exit at the British Grand Prix, the 24-year-old has never finished lower than fifth, and he currently sits fifth in the Drivers' standing, one place and 19 points ahead of his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The young Briton is obviously setting the bar high, as nothing less than winning the world title will do. But he knows that a plum seat at Mercedes is no guarantee in itself that he'll clinch the crown.

"Things can change very quickly in Formula 1 and signing a piece of paper to join the greatest team of this era, without doubt, is obviously a huge moment," he said, speaking on F1's Beyond the Grid podcast.

"But if I don’t perform, if I go and get my arse kicked by the greatest driver of all time, what does it mean? Because in a year’s time I’ll probably be out the door.

"It was a huge step on my ladder, but it’s sort of like the image of the guy climbing the mountain – he thinks he's at the top and he looks up and the peak’s miles away, and you get there and there’s another peak, and that’s kind of the way I look at it.

"There is a lot to celebrate for a moment like that. I want to be a world champion, I want to win races, and signing that contract didn’t guarantee anything."

• Read also: Russell reveals a Hamilton strength that few 'appreciate'

He admits however that his positive start to his life at Mercedes and his performance relative to Hamilton have boosted his confidence.

"Obviously, it's done my confidence more good than if I started on the backfoot and if I was behind," he said.

"I think it's been clear over the past few years [that] it's not easy changing teams and going somewhere new when there's already an established driver on the other side of the garage.

"At the end of the day, this is Lewis' territory. He's been here for 10 years, he's won however many championships with the team, and they've had so much success together, so I never thought it was going to be easy."

In between races, Russell was a visitor to Wimbledon recently, and he interestingly sees a key analogy between his quest to become the best in Formula 1 and the success achieved in tennis by three of the sport's all-time greats: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

"You've got probably the three greatest tennis players of all time, with three totally different approaches to their game," he explained.

"I think to be the best, or to at least be the best version of yourself, you shouldn't go out there and copy what the best has done."

Although inspired by Hamilton's incredible success as a Grand Prix driver, Russell says he would be wrong to try and copy the seven-time world champion's approach or traits.

"He's the best because he's got the best out of himself and whatever he does works for him," he added.

"In the world of tennis, who do you copy? Do you copy Nadal? Do you copy Federer? Do you copy Djokovic?

"Obviously in the world of motorsport there's only Lewis for now, but that analogy made me think, 'You just need to do what's right for you', as those three greats in tennis have done."

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