Russell remembers 'hard to digest' F1 debut with Williams

George Russell says bringing up the rear with Williams during his debut season in F1 in 2019 while his former F2 rivals Alex Albon and Lando Norris were racing for points in was "hard to digest" for the young Briton.

In 2018, Russell won the FIA Formula 2 Championship by a comfortable margin, with Norris and Albon completing the feeder series' top-three that year.

But in F1 the following year, as all three drivers made their Grand Prix debut, Russell was unable to compete with his fellow young guns, a situation that wasn't easy endure for the ambitious young Mercedes protégé.

"That was a really unique season for my first year in Formula 1 – joining Williams, a team that was on the brink of bankruptcy," Russell told The High Performance Podcast.

"It was a team [that], every single race weekend, was racing to survive. It wasn't racing to perform, the team was racing to survive and [there were] 800 people's jobs at stake.

"There was no doubt, when I got to the first race in Australia, [I thought] I'm here in Formula 1, almost one dream accomplished, and got on track and we're four seconds off the pace.

"The car's falling apart, and we're being lapped two or three times – [you] kind of think to yourself, is this the dream? But I think I've always had quite a rational view to things.

"[However], seeing Alex in Red Bull scoring podiums and being the man to a degree, and Lando equally always in the points, that was sort of difficult to digest, because I've just come from Formula 2 where I beat them."

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Frustrated by his inability to race higher up the order due to Williams' mediocre car, Russell had no other choice but to keep his head down, think positively and bide his time.

"I thought that, even though they're finishing in the points and they're scoring podiums, I'm not here to score points or podiums, I'm here to win and I want to win," remembered the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix winner.

"Even though they were finishing ahead of me, we're all going through this journey together, learning. I was part of Mercedes and I felt like my time will come.

"So I think, from a difficult situation, you've got to try and look at the positives from it. I was driving at the back of a grid, kind of under the radar.

"I was making a few mistakes that season, but not many people noticed because the spotlight wasn't on me. The spotlight was on the guys at the front [and], equally, the spotlight was on Lando and Alex.

"If ever they made a mistake, the whole world knew about it, so I saw this as an opportunity.

"[I thought], I'm in Formula 1, going to 21 different countries, 21 different races, different circuits.

"This is my opportunity to learn and perhaps try things that, for example, Alex and Lando didn't have the opportunity to because the spotlight was on every single weekend."

Russell's apprenticeship in F1 with Williams lasted three seasons, with the 24-year-old finally moving to Mercedes for 2022.

In hindsight, Russell's views his struggles with Williams as a character-building necessary evil that greatly contributed to his personal develop as a driver.

"I never want to look back and say things should have been different," he continued.

"I think, every single opportunity, every single year, whether it's a good year or a bad year, adds to your development and it made me who I am.

"If I was in a Mercedes, fighting for victories, I wouldn't have had those experiences, and I have probably been through, in that regard, maybe more than what Alex or Lando has.

"Lando has been at McLaren now for five years. He's been fighting for the odd podium or pole position for five years now, whereas I've been on every end of the spectrum, and you've got to see that as an advantage.

"He hasn't been right at the back of the grid. Equally, he's not been right at the front of the grid in McLaren.

"It's through no fault of his own, Lando is an exceptional driver. But, that's an advantage I've got to take from that."

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