Victorious George Russell said he “has rediscovered himself” and will seek to win every race and pile pressure on his championship-leading Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
The 28-year-old Briton won Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix by less than two-tenths of a second from four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull to trim the 20-year-old Italian’s lead in the title race to 66 points.
“My team-mate’s had an incredible season,” said Russell. “He’s been pretty flawless throughout, but now we’re getting to crunch time and I’m just going to focus on myself.
“If I continue giving performances like I did this weekend, at the end of the season I’ll be happy because it’s been a tough period for me and I’ll feel like I’ve come through the other side.”
He added that his approach to the remaining races was simple.
“Win them all, win every race,” he said. “That’s the game plan.”
Russell’s third win of the year, and first in seven races since the Austrian Grand Prix in June, confirmed he has rediscovered his mojo after being outshone by the dazzling talent of Antonelli.
Russell said he had reflected on his early-season form and re-set his approach following the sport’s summer break.
“Mainly, I think it’s just having more experience with this new driving style I’ve adopted,” said Russell.
“Every race since the break, I feel like I’ve gone from strength to strength. I feel more like myself again.”
He praised the Mercedes team for backing him throughout his winless run.
“It’s amazing to be back on the top step. I do want to say a big thanks to my team because they’ve continued to believe in me through a tough moment.
“They really helped me come through it.”
Acting Mercedes team principal Bradley Lord said Russell had been flawless in the race.
“It would have been a grave injustice if he didn’t come out on top, but I am so glad he did.
“It was a bit heart in mouth for us when he lost his turbo boost because he had to go slowly through the double yellows — and suddenly had Max just half a second behind him!
“But he just had the legs out of turn 15 and down the straight!”
Meanwhile, world championship leader Antonelli said his performance was his worst of the year.
Antonelli rescued fifth place after starting 16th on the grid, following a crash in qualifying, and said he had driven in a “safety-first” mode — unlike his home Italian Grand Prix where he won from 19th on the grid in sensational style.
His prudence signalled he was driving with one eye on the title race and wished to avoid joining several other drivers in not finishing the race.
“Today is one of those days where you have to be happy with P5,” he said.
“It was not an easy race at all, but overall one of those weekends where I was always a step behind after missing a lot of practice.
“George has driven incredibly this weekend and had a lot of confidence. This was my worst of the year by far in terms of performance.
“I didn’t take the same risks, especially after qualifying, and today was more ‘damage-safe mode’ instead of full attack.” — AFP
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