Qualifying was the place George Russell gained an necessary edge at Mercedes in 2024, which he put right down to his confidence rising in conditions the place the strain is on. He ended up with a small however nonetheless important 0.148s benefit over a driver with 104 F1 poles in Lewis Hamilton.
Their head-to-head split ended up as 24-6, with only Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas having better. From robust beginning positions Russell was typically better of the remainder behind the McLaren/Purple Bull/Ferrari battle, and picked up the items to win in Austria.
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His different victory, Las Vegas, he dominated assuredly. However there have been nonetheless racing errors at key instances too.
Does Russell finish the 12 months as Verstappen’s greatest F1 enemy?
They by no means finally ended up attempting to share the identical piece of asphalt in Abu Dhabi, the place Russell and Verstappen had engaged in a confrontation because the occasion kicked off.
Russell felt he had to respond to Verstappen’s suggestion he’d made a meal of their Qatar Q3 impeding incident to try to acquire a grid spot – which the Dutchman tripled down on every week later at Yas Marina – and his Mercedes group had been solely too joyful to help.
Verstappen misplaced his pole for the Qatar GP to Russell after impeding the Mercedes driver in qualifying
Photograph by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Photographs
Workforce boss Toto Wolff additionally called his Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner a “yapping little terrier” after Horner had said Russell was “hysterical” in Qatar.
Mercedes seen this as the primary photographs of a 2025 title battle. And whereas Purple Bull insiders didn’t agree, it’s all value remembering given how lengthy Verstappen holds grudges.
He’s eager to keep up friendships with McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri regardless of their contact in 2024 – apologising for the latter after their Abu Dhabi clash.
Late in that occasion there was that stage-managed GPDA image politeness between the 2 vocal adversaries of earlier within the week. However, take away the PR, and Verstappen vs Russell is now being billed as F1’s greatest driver enemy spat.
Due to this fact, because it’ll seemingly preserve arising over the winter, right here’s Russell’s major thrust from Abu Dhabi, when he was talking to pick out media together with Autosport: “I discover all of it fairly ironic, contemplating Saturday evening [in Qatar] he mentioned he will purposely exit of his solution to crash into me and, quote, “put me on my f***ing head within the wall.
“To query anyone’s integrity as an individual, whereas saying feedback like that the day earlier than, I discover it very ironic, and I am not going to sit down right here and settle for it. Individuals have been bullied by Max for years now, and you may’t query his driving talents. However he can’t cope with adversity every time something has gone towards him.
“Jeddah 2021, Brazil 2021 – he lashes out. Budapest this 12 months, very first race the automotive wasn’t dominant – crashing into Lewis, slamming his group.
“As I mentioned, for me, these feedback on Saturday evening and Sunday had been completely disrespectful and pointless, as a result of what occurs on observe, we battle laborious. It is a part of racing. What occurs within the steward’s room? You battle laborious, but it surely’s by no means private. However you realize, he is taking it too far now.”
Russell shall be tasked with main the 2025 F1 title cost for Mercedes in its post-Hamilton period
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
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George Russell
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