George Russell has never hidden his ambition. But after claiming a commanding victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver says the biggest difference in his game now isn’t raw speed or aggression – it’s composure.
The 27-year-old Briton believes that with experience has come the ability to stay calm when it matters most, a transformation that was on full display under the Marina Bay lights last weekend.
Russell’s victory came at a circuit that has often tested him in the past. Two years ago, he crashed out on the final lap while chasing a podium, and last season he reached the chequered flag in Singapore for the first time.
This year, however, he turned old frustration into triumph – and he credits his new, more relaxed mindset for that turnaround.
A Calm Mind Under the Singapore Lights
“I think it comes with experience, just knowing how to maximise every situation,” Russell reflected after the race.
“Probably a couple of years ago I was driving a bit more tense and probably over-pushing in circumstances when I shouldn’t have been. Now I just feel much more relaxed.”
That serenity was tested even before the start. Rain hit the track an hour before lights out, throwing pre-race strategies into question. For the younger Russell, such uncertainty might have rattled his focus – but not anymore.
“Going into today, I was relaxed,” he said. “When it was raining an hour before the race, I just said ‘it is what it is, it’s the same for everybody’.
“There’s nothing I can do, so there’s no point stressing about it. I think for myself a few years ago it would have been slightly different.”
It’s clearly the kind of perspective only years of hard racing – and a few painful lessons – can provide.
Ready to Take It to the Next Step
Russell’s win marked the fifth of his Formula 1 career and the second this season, after Montreal. He led the field home three times last year but saw one of those victories stripped away due to a technical disqualification in Spa.
Still, every success has built belief – not just in his pace, but in his ability to manage the emotional rollercoaster of elite racing.
“I mean, this track has not been my best friend over the years, and that’s often been through my own doing,” he acknowledged. “
“But I’m a very different driver today to the one I was a couple of years ago, and I feel more complete, more confident. I know exactly what I need to do in given circumstances.”
And while the pre-race tension was naturally there, Russell said the nerves were nothing unusual.
“Of course, I was nervous before the race as you’d expect, but I didn’t feel any additional nerves or any additional pressure,” he said.
“It just felt like another race, and I knew I had a chance to win, and I felt comfortable with that. I’ve said it for a while – I feel ready to fight for a championship. I feel ready to take it to the next step.”
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If this latest performance is any indication, George Russell’s greatest strength now lies not just in his pace, but in his peace.
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