George Russell on Lewis Hamilton & Ferrari: “Always a major threat”

In fact, George Russell should have been the first to cross the finish line in the latest showdown in the premier class. After all, he had secured pole position and thus the best starting position from which to claim his second Grand Prix victory of the year. Furthermore, his team-mate Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire shortly before the finish line through no fault of his own, as the battery in his power unit failed.

Yet after 66 laps, it was his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton who crossed the finish line first. The seven-time world champion thus celebrated his first Grand Prix victory in red. And Russell had to settle for second place. Looking back, team principal Toto Wolff spoke of a reality check. And Russell agrees with him: “In one respect, it was certainly a reality check, because Ferrari have always had a good chassis, but in terms of the engine, they were a fair way behind us. And in Barcelona, they took a big step forward in terms of speed on the straights. They were much faster there than before.”

“They’re making progress with every upgrade they bring to the car. And that’s why this race here in Spielberg is an important yardstick for gauging whether Ferrari really are in such good form or whether the weekend in Barcelona was a one-off,” explained the 28-year-old, looking at the competition.

All the factors have to be right

Commenting on his former team-mate’s victory, the four-time Grand Prix winner said: “It’s brilliant to see Lewis back at the very front; he’s done what he does best. And it also shows that in Formula 1, all the factors simply have to be right for you to get the best out of it. People had already written him off last year, but now he’s back in action with his old vigour. It’s not as if, as a driver, you forget how to drive fast overnight.”

At the same time, Russell explained: “Everything simply has to be just right, and when it is, he really flies. And it’s clear that he and Ferrari are a real threat, just like Kimi. But none of them make me nervous; if anything, I’m excited, because I love competition. Even back in my karting days, we had several rivals we had to beat. It has to be the same in Formula 1, and that’s certainly the case at the moment, which is why I’m really looking forward to it.”

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